


Tangled But Way More Dark

by MoreFdUpThanRiverdalesWriting



Series: Tangled But Darker Series [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Child Abuse, Eating, Exhaustion, First Aid, Gags, I swear it's not actually that bad, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Injury, Inspired by Tangled (2010), Kidnapping, Knives, Non-Graphic Violence, Non-Sexual Bondage, Punching, Starvation, Swearing, Tangled AU, Thomas is an enby horse for some reason, Unconsciousness, Unsympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Unsympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Verbal Abuse, Violence, kicking, this is dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23851729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoreFdUpThanRiverdalesWriting/pseuds/MoreFdUpThanRiverdalesWriting
Summary: Most people know the story of the royal baby being stolen for their hair that holds magical properties that can keep someone young, but this version will have twists and turns and danger that lurks around every corner. This will be different because everyone knows that good doesn’t always defeat evil. But most importantly it will be different because it’s very gay.Warnings in chapter notes will be provided!Please read the warnings as I really don’t want to trigger anyone. Stay safe guys, gals and non-binary pals!
Series: Tangled But Darker Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876438
Comments: 63
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are quite a few major differences in this compared to the original plot. Please also note that I use British-English.
> 
> Warnings: kidnapping, abuse (not really in detail though) and unconsciousness (not for long
> 
> Please comment any mistakes I have made or any warnings/tags that should be added, thanks.

Once upon a time, there was a King and Queen who had recently had a baby boy, this baby boy was special as he held magical properties in his blood and hair all thanks to a special flower that came from a drop of moonlight which was used to help heal the Queen from a sickness that weakened her during pregnancy.

This flower was a pale white with gentle strokes of purple on each petal, and unfortunately it was discovered by two greedy men who used its power to get what they wanted from others around them. They tried to keep the flower hidden but weren’t careful enough and the flower was used to help the Queen.

These men decided that they should get to keep the flower and were very angry when they found that it had been taken from them and when they heard that the royal baby held the magical properties that were in the flower they came up with a plan to kidnap the boy and keep him to themselves so they could keep using the magic within the boy.

The King and Queen were obviously devastated when they found that their baby boy had been stolen and searched everywhere in their own and surrounding kingdoms for their child. No one had seen the child so after almost a year of searching, they gave up physically searching for him, however, they never gave up hope. Each year on the boy’s birthday their kingdom set off round white lanterns with their royal symbol, a crescent moon and flower with splashes of purple, into the night sky in hopes that their son would one day return to them.

3 years later

Virgil was sitting on a stool with his 2 dads, Janus and Remus, who had a hand each on one of his shoulders while Virgil hummed a tune. His white hair was giving off a soft purple glow and Janus and Remus were mumbling under their breath their wishes to take some of Virgil’s power. This was a routine now where each day the men were at the tower, they would steal some of Virgil’s power to refresh themselves with the magic and make them younger as well. 

Virgil’s power, or at least what they knew about, was that whoever touched Virgil when he was humming, or singing would be healed of any sickness and would be made younger. The men had tried to cut a piece of hair off of the boy’s head while they were stealing him from the castle, but it had the reverse effects. Ever since that night, the boy had been kept locked away in a tower with no escape.

Virgil longed to go outside but each time he had asked in the past he would be slapped hard across the face, screamed at then locked in his room without food for a day so he had given up asking. He did, however, watch lights spread across the sky each night on his birthday, he had been told when his birthday was but was never allowed to experience celebrating it like anyone else was and was instead given extra chores as a “present” from his dads who told him that that is what normally happened for birthdays.

2 years later

Virgil was sat by the fireplace in his tower with his 2 dads, reading a tattered book while his dads made dinner. “Dads?” Virgil asked softly looking up from his book.

“Yes?” Janus answered with the slightest hint of annoyance in his voice.

“M-my hair is really long, and I was gonna ask if we could cut it?” Virgil asked trying not to let his nervousness show. He may only be 5 years old, but he was very smart for his age because he was never actually allowed to be a child.

“NO! How many times do Jay and I have to tell you that you can’t cut your hair!” Remus replied sharply, scaring the poor boy into silence.

They ate in tense silence that night and once Virgil had shuffled off to bed the men had a conversation. They eventually agreed on making a potion to get the hair to get the boy’s hair to stop growing and make a normal length, they did not do this out of kindness however, it was out of annoyance because Virgil had asked the same question quite a lot, pus the men were sick of finding long hairs everywhere.

The potion only took a couple of hours to make the next day and was given to Virgil after dinner the same day.

“Drink this brat, it will make your hair stop growing.” Janus hissed at the boy handing him a slimy green substance in a glass.

“Thank you,” Virgil said automatically and drank the liquid quickly before he started choking and dropped the glass so that it shattered on the floor.

He distantly heard his fathers yelling at him for the mess while he was overcome with dizziness then promptly dropped to the floor unconscious, and fortunately for him, he was just out of reach of the shards of glass glittering dangerously on the floor.

Remus sighed then roughly dragged Virgil to his room by his wrists, somehow not dislocating them on the way, and unceremoniously dropped the boy on his bed, not even bothering to tuck him in. Janus cleaned up the mess begrudgingly while muttering under his breath about how annoying Virgil was.

The next day Virgil woke up confused as to why he couldn’t feel his hair tangling around him, so he got up to check the cracked mirror in his almost empty room and stumbled backwards when he saw that his hair was shorter now. Instead of his hair almost touching his waist it was short all around the sides and the top bit just reached his chin. It was still the same pure white but now also had shocking purple highlights running through the long bit.

He was very confused but was very glad that his hair wouldn’t be getting in the way anymore. He grew to love his new hairstyle over the years. His dads had screamed when they saw it and immediately checked that it still held magic, which it did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I just want to put out there that I do not see Deceit and Remus as bad guys I just wrote them as such for the sake of this fic.
> 
> Warnings: being chased(?), near-death experience (brief), starvation mention, restraints and gags (NOT SEXUAL)
> 
> Please let me know if you spot any mistakes or think I should add to/update the tags and warnings

10 years after that

It was three days before Virgil’s 15th birthday and his dads had just gone out to get more supplies for goodness knows what potions they wanted to test out and Virgil was doing his usual pile of chores such as cleaning and polishing everything even though it was already spotless.

Meanwhile, 5 men were running from the palace with a stolen crown in one of their bags and at least 15 guards chasing them. They raced through the forest until they came to a cliff and with the guards closing in they knew they had to be quick so the 2 brothers, who were “in charge”, boosted the young friends up first as they were the strongest but when they demanded a hand up the other 3 refused and took the crown with them as they ran. The 2 brothers did deserve this though as they had forced and threatened the friends into stealing to “pay off a debt”.

As the friends ran, they briefly stopped in a clearing to catch their breath as they thought they would be safe for a little bit. As one of the men, named Roman, who was the one with the satchel holding the crown strapped across his chest, leaned against a tree, he caught sight of a wanted poster for them from the last time they were made to steal for the brothers that they had just left behind. He snatched it from the tree and heavily sighed when he realised that the picture hadn’t quite gotten his nose right, but before he could voice his complaints to his friends they heard the thumping of hooves against the forest floor getting closer so they started running again, Roman quickly stuffed the poster into the satchel as he ran.

The head guard was getting closer with his horse, Thomas, and the boys were getting slower. They came to a large cliff edge with a dead tree hanging over the side when the guard caught up with them however when Thomas stopped because it was so sudden, he accidentally flung his rider behind him, knocking him out against a tree. Roman, who had the satchel suddenly got an idea. It was reckless, as usual, but he believed it would work.

“Is this what you want horse?” he said holding the satchel up with a toned and tanned arm, which successfully gained the horse’s attention.

“Roman what are you doing?!” hissed one of the others, Logan, who had dark hair and glasses much like the last friend, Patton who had curly dirty blonde hair.

Roman ignored his friend in favour of distracting the horse who had moved closer to him as he moved away from his other friends and was backing onto the tree holding up the satchel for the horse to see. Thomas slowly started moving onto the tree which made it creak under the weight and right before its roots dislodged from the loose ground Roman launched himself back to the safety of the cliff edge while the tree and horse plummeted to the ground beneath them.

Unfortunately for Roman, he latched onto a part of the ground that was loose and started slipping as his 2 friends rushed over to help him up. Once they were all safely backed away from the edge and were laying on the ground catching their breath Logan spoke once more struggling to keep the emotion out of his voice; “Roman that was incredibly stupid.”

Patton agreed and with tears in his eyes said, “Ro you could have died!”

Roman looked at his friends and moved to hug Patton while keeping a hand on Logan’s knee because he knew that his nerdy friend was also in need of some comfort even though he would not express as such. “I know Padre,” he said soothingly to the dad friend, “I’m sorry.”

After the friends had once again caught their breath, they made their way through the thick forest looking for a place to set up camp while they rested but were unsuccessful. Logan moved to lean against a boulder covered in vines as his legs were starting to ache from all of the exercise but he slipped through the vines and fell onto soft grass instead letting out a strangled sounding cry and landing with a soft thud.

“Logan?! Are you okay?” Patton asked as he rushed to help his friend up.

Roman also rushed over however when he stepped through the vines, he looked past his friends and saw light which would not be there if it was a normal cave. He was rendered speechless as he saw a magnificent tower almost as high as the tops of the trees after taking a couple of steps further. “Uh, guys? You might want to see this,” he called to his friends who were now both standing and brushing the dirt Logan was now dusted in.

The other 2 moved forward to see what Roman was looking at and were both taken aback by the tower that was made of stones and covered in dark green ivy. It also had a large open window that had a rope hanging out of it reaching a quarter of the way down the tower.

The boys looked at each other then, after a bit of discussion agreed to search the tower for anything they could use in their travels as it looked abandoned. Patton was against the idea at first because he thought that it would be wrong however the other 2 persuaded him by saying that it wouldn’t be as bad because they would take things that had been left behind by the previous owner meaning that they didn’t want it anymore.

Little did they know as they started to climb that there was a pale, too skinny boy in the tower washing already clean pots and pans in hope that his usual punishment wouldn’t be so bad.

Logan was the first to step into the tower and turned around to help Roman in, then Patton but failed to notice that there was a boy panicking at the sink with a frying pan in his soapy hands.

They started to look around and one by one noticed the boy dressed in a thin dark jumper and faded leggings standing not far from them with wide eyes and shaking hands.

“Uh… hi kiddo, sorry to barge in on you…” Patton said stepping forward and holding his hands up to show that he meant no harm.

Virgil backed into the cupboards, pan still in his hand as Patton started to come closer. When Patton stepped too close for comfort his fight or flight instincts kicked in and he swung the pan hard at Patton and hit his head with an awful clang followed by a thud as he hit the ground unconscious.

Roman and Logan instantly went to fight the boy but the fight only lasted a couple of seconds as they were also knocked out by the pan’s accuracy and weight quickly but not before Roman had managed to land a powerful hit on the boy’s already bruised and empty stomach making him feel nauseous.

Virgil instantly started panicking again as he realised what he had done to the three pretty strangers that had entered his home. And realised that his dads would be home soon and would most likely kill the strangers and/or him. He tried to calm down, but it took a while.

After Virgil had regained control of his breathing, he decided that he needed to hide the strangers but started panicking once he realised that his fathers sometimes checked most places to see if they could find an excuse to punish Virgil extra or not. After a couple of minutes of thinking, he remembered that the only place they didn’t bother to check was inside the cupboards in his room as they were bare.

Unfortunately for him, his room was upstairs, and he was already tired from being woken up at the crack of dawn by yelling, cleaning all day and not eating for a couple of days. It took almost two hours for him to get the three strangers into the cupboards, though it might have been easier for him than an average kid as he had to pull two men up a large tower at the same time on a near-daily basis, he had also decided to bind their wrists with spare rope and gag them with cloth in case they woke up so that they wouldn’t alert his fathers to their presence. He locked the cupboard with a sigh and hid the key in his worn-out boots then made his way back downstairs to finish cleaning the dishes with a heavy sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG thank you to everyone reading this and leaving such lovely comments!!!<333
> 
> This chapter is where some dark shiz happens so please read the warnings which will be in the end notes as they kind of spoil it.
> 
> If you are triggered by forms of violence please read the end notes.
> 
> Also, there is unconsciousness and mentions of starvation, past abuse, hunger, exhaustion and being bound and gagged (not sexual).
> 
> Please also note that I have updated Deceit's name.

Just as he placed the last dish on the drying rack and reached for the towel, Virgil heard his dads calling him to let down the rope. He knew from experience that if he wasn’t quick then he would be punished, so he ran to the window and let down the rest of the rope. Once he felt the 2 men tug harshly on the rope, he started pulling the men up which took just over a minute.

His dads shoulder barged him without a word as he started tying the rope back up in its usual place and instantly started rummaging through the kitchen making a mess then scolding him for the mess they had just made. Janus tutted and made his way over to Virgil, he grabbed the boy’s hair and harshly tugged back his head to look him in the eyes “what a mess you have made boy, we were kind enough to bring food for you and this is what we come back to? I think this deserves a special punishment don’t you Remus?” He hissed turning back to Remus and ignoring the small whimper from Virgil.

“Can I do it Jayjay?! Pleeeeaaaase?!” Remus replied with a pouty smile and a twinkle in his eye as if he were a small child asking for sweets.

“Sure, just leave some for me,” Janus replied with a smirk, he then turned back to the boy he still had a grip on “against the wall,” he said giving him a push.

Virgil stumbled forwards then made his way over to the bare wall directly across from the window, now facing the wall he took off his thin hoodie and dumped it on the ground beside him almost robotically.

Remus walked over to a small wooden chest near the fireplace and opened it reaching in to take out the leather whip held inside, it was one of his favourites. He walked back and stood right behind the boy engulfing him in his shadow. Remus took a moment to look over his masterpiece even tracing a few of the raised scars on the kid’s back enjoying the way he shuddered at the touch. Remus then took a large step back and with a sadistic smile raised the whip above his head and smashed it down enjoying the sickening sound of leather slamming down onto skin.

The lashings only went on for about 5 minutes but to Virgil, despite having had this punishment quite a few times before, it felt like hours, almost days, before it was over. He knew that it wasn’t truly over yet as Janus had also wanted to have a turn and let’s just say that the 2 men had different… tastes when it came to punishing the boy.

Janus was now right behind Virgil and he was able to feel the short boy’s little body heat when he leaned forwards and whispered: “turn around.”

Virgil did immediately taking in a breath to prepare himself and was instantly met with a flying fist to his cheek knocking him to the ground from both the shock and power of the punch. He had no time to recover as kicks and punches rained over him like grey clouds on a stormy day.

After Janus had finished Virgil vaguely remembers the adults saying something about gathering more supplies and being away for a few days. Then they had told him to “stay put” while laughing. They knew that Virgil wouldn’t try to leave, Virgil had tried a couple of years back and had been caught resulting in the worst punishment ever making him physically shudder at the memory without even properly seeing it.

Once he had finished tidying he ate a handful of the squishy red grapes that had been left, he was starving as he had been denied food for a couple of days because “they were running low on food and it shouldn’t be wasted on scum like him.” He was also exhausted because of panicking and the mess with the strangers.

\---

Unknown to anyone in the tower the three boys started to stir in the locked cupboards just as the adults arrived back at the tower.

Patton was the first to regain consciousness and groaned around the material in his mouth, he quickly quietened and pulled at the ropes binding his wrists in front of him once he remembered what had happened. After a short while, he heard 2 muffled groans come from either side of him and realised that it must be Logan and Roman which calmed him a little. They each started shuffling and trying to communicate to no avail when they suddenly heard angry yelling coming from somewhere in the tower and stilled to listen.

There were multiple shouts filled with degrading insults and vulgar language then, a sound worse than the 3 boys upstairs had ever heard filled the small tower. It was the sound of leather against skin and it made the boys shudder and want to cover their ears. The boys didn’t know who was being hurt but they all wanted to help them.

After a while the sound stopped then was quickly replaced with the sound of punches which lasted a few minutes. Then there was murmurs and laughter. Then nothing. The teens waited in tense silence until they heard a groan and sigh followed by shuffling. 

\---

The adults had only gone to the tower because they needed to drop off the supplies they had collected so far then they headed back out to stay in their cottage about a mile away because they didn’t actually live in the tower because they only used it as storage space, both for their supplies and for their “son”.

After they left and Virgil had finished cleaning up the mess he made his way to his room and suddenly remembered about the strangers, he decided to check on them and get them to leave while his dads were away.

He lazily took the key out of his boot and unlocked the cupboard then opened the door only to let out a surprised squeak as 3 pairs of eyes, one light blue, one dark blue and one chocolate brown, looking back at him with similar surprise.

“Look I’m sorry for knocking you out or whatever but you need to leave an forget you ever found this place okay?” Virgil said as he roughly pulled each of them out of the cupboard and started untying Logan who then took out his gag as he moved to help Patton and Virgil helped Roman.

“Are you okay? you don’t look so good,” Roman said after he had removed his gag as he took in the pale boy before him only now noticing how pretty he was and his nice but strange hair.

“I’m fine, but you need to leave. Now.” Virgil gritted out as he was suddenly hit with another wave of exhaustion making him sway a little and grab onto the cupboard for support.

“Kiddo, was it you who was being hurt earlier?” Patton asked now noticing the blossoming bruise on the boy’s cheek, he stepped closer once more to the boy, who in turn stepped back.

“No. Just leave and never come back,” Virgil said pushing past Patton and making his way to his mattress on the floor with a ratty, torn blanket on top.

“We aren’t going to leave until we know that you will be safe here!” Roman said stubbornly moving towards Virgil.

“Get. Out.” Virgil said through his teeth swaying again but he had nothing to hold onto.

Roman reached forward to stabilise him only to have his hands hit away with surprising strength.

“Please, we just want to help,” Logan said softly from his spot beside Patton having moved there to comfort his more emotional friend.

Virgil opened his mouth to say something but was once again hit by how exhausted and hungry he was, it felt like a tidal wave and this time he couldn’t stay afloat. His eyes rolled back and he fell to the side and landed with a loud thud on the stone ground unconscious.

The 3 friends stood in shock for a moment before Patton rushed to the unconscious boy’s side and gently shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. Logan also made his way over and crouched down behind him, he then gently lifted Virgil’s thin hoodie to expose his back which he could now see was covered in fresh wounds and bruises and older scars in various stages of healing, he also checked his pulse and breathing which both seemed fine other than being a little slow.

Roman was watching his two friends and the handsome stranger on the floor not sure how he could help, he wasn’t stupid and judging by the pained and sad look in Logan’s eyes when he saw the boys back Patton was right in his earlier assumption of him being hurt.

“We aren’t leaving him here,” Patton said almost angrily but with a waver in his voice as he looked between his companions and the boy on the floor.

“I agree Patton, but how are we going to carry him out, and what happens when he wakes up? He has been pretty hostile so far so we should probably take security measures to ensure that he doesn’t hurt us or himself when he awakens,” Logan said picking up two pieces of rope and the soft material previously used to gag them and turning back to his friends.

Patton would normally have put up a fight saying that it was mean, but he knew that he would not win, and he was tired anyway from the long day. So he sat back as Logan and Roman tied together the darkly dressed boy’s wrists and ankles which they all noticed were too thin to be healthy, then gagged him so that when he woke up he couldn’t scream and alert anyone to their presence such as the people who hurt him or any guards in the area still looking for them.

After the ropes and gag were secured Roman, being the strongest of the small group, passed the satchel to Logan and picked up the pale boy gently to avoid further injuring him and slung him over his shoulder so that it would be easier to climb back down the side of the tower. 

They made their way down the stairs silently before Logan broke off from the group to grab a couple of carrots and bread from the counter to have once they found somewhere safe to rest. He also picked up some knives and the frying pan after remembering how well the boy used it to defend himself earlier and thinking that it would be useful if they could also have some sort of weapon to defend themselves with, then put everything in the satchel as the others started to make their way out of the window, Roman first with Virgil securely balanced over his shoulder. Logan didn’t realise it but when he put the supplies in the satchel, he knocked out the wanted poster which would later turn out to be a grave mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: whipping, kicking and punching
> 
> Thanks for reading and please comment if I made and grammar/spelling mistakes or should update tags/warnings.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much everyone for reading, the kind comments and kudos mean the world to me! <3
> 
> Warnings: anxiety and brief panic attack, injuries and first-aid (not in detail), being tied up and gagged, there is one swear word (I don't censor these and won't unless someone comments saying that they would like me to) also there are mentions of food
> 
> Please comment if you think I should update/add to/change any of the tags or warnings <3

After they had all successfully climbed down the tower, they made their way back over towards the secret passage and walked closely through the forest looking for a place where they could sleep. They were all exhausted and hungry, another thing that they all felt, strangely enough, was the need to protect the strange boy they had more-or-less kidnapped from the dark tower.

After walking through the forest for about 45 minutes they came across a clearing that they deemed to be good enough to stay in for the night. Roman placed the still unconscious boy down gently on his side on the soft ground then the three of them huddled together and snacked on some of the bread Logan had taken and some wild berries Patton had managed to find as they were walking.

After they had finished eating, they huddled closer together to share body heat and quickly fell asleep.

\---

The first thing Virgil noticed as he stirred was that he was not in the tower, he was somewhere… warmer? And softer? And it smelt funny, there was also something tickling his bare skin. He groaned and tried to pry his heavy eyelids open only to be greeted with green. Lots of green, and brown. Where was he?

The last thing he remembered right away was that he had been cleaning up the mess his dads made then…? Oh… oh shit, the strangers. He only now noticed that there was something soft in his mouth and he could not get it out. Then he realised that his wrists were bound and after trying to sit up he realised that his ankles were also bound together. Welp, this is not looking too good for him.

He managed to sit up and lean against a tree then looked around and saw the other teenagers who were sleeping, thankfully, and were cuddling. He realised that his wrists were bound in front of him meaning that he could untie his ankles and make a break for it, so that is what he did. Making quick work of undoing the knot in the rope he stood up slowly and used the tree trunk to help him stand. Virgil tried to figure out where to go, he could go back to the tower, but did he actually want to? He hated being there and he had never been outside before, it was nice. He was apprehensive about staying away from the tower knowing that it was likely that Janus and Remus would find him and he knew that he did not want that. He hadn’t noticed it, but he had started hyperventilating and had sat back down pressing himself into the tree.

\---

Virgil’s breath was getting quicker and quicker as Logan started to wake up. Logan soon noticed that someone wasn’t breathing right and sprung up to check on his friends waking them up in the process. After ruling out his friends as the people in need of assistance he turned to the only other possibility and saw that the boy they kidnapped helped was looking around with wide eyes, one being a mesmerising shade of violet and one brown, both filled with terror.

Logan crawled over to the boy so he didn’t appear as a threat. “None of us are going to hurt you. You need to breathe. In for 4, good, now hold for 4. Out for 4 then hold for 4. Good now repeat.” Logan continued to guide the panicked boy back to normal breathing after removing the gag from his mouth and letting it rest around his neck.

Patton and Roman were watching from a short distance with wide eyes as their friend who usually hated showing emotion was smiling at the boy as his breathing got to a more normal pace.

A couple minutes of awkward silence went by and Virgil was surprisingly the one to break it. “What do you want from me?” He said accusingly causing them all to wince a bit only now remembering that they had technically kidnapped him.

“We want to help, those people, whoever they are, hurt you and that isn’t okay. You are safe now.” Roman said shuffling towards the boy and Logan.

“And you show that by kidnapping me…?” 

“Well… what’s your name by the way?”

“Yeah, like I’m going to tell you guys my name,” Virgil said as he scoffed.

“Kiddo we really do want to help, here have something to eat, we will find water soon,” Patton said kindly as he got some of the bread and berries from the satchel.

Virgil didn’t take it thinking it could be poisoned or drugged, after all, he had been drugged before. He looked down at his hands which were fidgeting on his lap meaning Virgil missed the silent conversation held between the friends as he continued to get lost in his thoughts.

“Why were you guys even in the tower? And how did you find it?” Virgil questioned further, surprising himself by being the one to speak first again.

“Now that’s a funny story actually,” Roman awkwardly laughed then continued, “we were being chased by… um, by a horse.”

“You were chased… by a horse?” Virgil repeated looking up at the other boys.

“Yes,” Logan confirmed.

“Why?” Virgil pressed.

“Uh, well… wait! How are your legs untied?!” Roman said making the others also notice the rope a little bit away from the boy.

Virgil opened his mouth to answer while being stared at then suddenly stood up and ran. Roman instantly followed still wanting to help the kid, and it was pretty obvious that he wouldn’t know how to survive in the woods alone. Patton and Logan shared a look of exasperation both knowing that Roman will be able to catch up to the too-skinny teen and bring him back so they can help.

After a couple minutes of running, Virgil tripped over a log and landed awkwardly in a bush causing him to squeak adorably. Roman caught up with him as he tried to stand again, which was difficult as his wrists were still bound together, but let out a pained gasp when he put pressure on his left foot causing him to fall back into the bush.

Roman chuckled lightly as he stood next to the struggling stranger before kneeling beside the bush he was laying in. “Looks like you’ve fallen for me! Need some help?” He said teasingly with a smirk.

“No! Go away!” Virgil hissed back still trying to get up.

Roman chuckled again then swooped in and picked up Virgil bridal-style despite the boy flailing away from him and yelling at him to put him down.

They arrived back to where Patton and Logan where after a short walk during which Virgil had calmed down a bit but was still shifting every so often being visibly uncomfortable. Roman sat Virgil down and turned to the nerdier of the two saying “Logan you know some first-aid don’t you?”

“Yes, why?”

“It seems Charlie frown here twisted his ankle,” Roman replied ignoring that Virgil was now grumpy and clearly confused by the nickname.

“Ah, I have also been meaning to look at any other injuries you have,” Logan said stepping forward to help the boy when Virgil hissed like a cat making everyone go silent and look at him shocked.

“I’m sorry,” Logan said incredulously, “did he just hiss at me?”

“Don’t come near me!” Virgil growled in response.

“We just want to help you okay?” Patton said putting his hands up.

Virgil peeked out from behind his knees showing his brown eye while his violet eye was hidden by his hair. He wanted to believe them as they seemed genuine, but Remus had taken delight in telling him horror stories with way too much detail about what happens outside of the tower walls and he wasn’t sure how much of it was exaggerated or even true. He wanted to give them a chance though and his ankle started to pulse with pain every so often along with his aching back and empty stomach.

“Fine,” Virgil muttered into his knees just loud enough for them to hear.

Logan stepped forwards again while Roman went to stand beside Patton to help sort out some food for breakfast. Logan crouched down beside the small boy so that he could help with the various injuries he had.

The first thing Logan checked was Virgil’s ankle, he rolled up the boy’s dark leggings and took his boot off. They went through the process of wrapping the swollen ankle in some bandages that Logan had in his first-aid kit which he always carried in the satchel as it belonged to him. After that Logan got Virgil to sit up away from the tree and take off his jumper. He somehow managed to keep a straight face, hiding his anger and disgust for the people who did this, and applied a bit of cream to the bruises and lashes, then wrapped them up along with the few fractured ribs.

Roman and Patton had tried not to look over while Virgil had his jumper off but both saw anyway and Roman had sat emotionless hugging a crying Patton for quite a while when the other two walked over, Virgil using the trees for support as he didn’t want to touch or be touched by Logan. The two had already prepared some of the food they had, and Patton had gotten some clean water from a small stream for them to drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take care everyone, the next chapter should be up within the week.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm pleasantly surprised at how many reads this has gotten and how much positive feedback I have been getting so thank you. I know that I don't really have an update schedule but I do try and get a chapter out at least once a week.
> 
> Warnings; general anxiety, eating, swearing, implied/referenced abuse
> 
> As always please comment if you think I should update/change any tags/warnings or have made a mistake in the chapter. <3

Everyone was now sitting in an almost circle surrounding the food, Roman kept a comforting hand on Patton’s knee while he tried to sort out the food out, Virgil however, was still being stubborn.

“Please kiddo, you’re too skinny, when was the last time you ate a proper meal?” Patton pleaded.

Virgil thought for a while then gave a half-hearted shrug which only made everyone more distressed, some hiding it better than others.

“It would help your injuries to heal faster if you ate this. It has plenty of nutrients.” Logan said taking over from the most emotional of the group.

“We are all eating the same thing, so you know none of it has been tampered with if that helps.” Roman tries after Logan got no response. Surprisingly, this made Virgil look up and make eye contact with both Roman then Logan to see if they were telling the truth. After a couple minutes of tense silence, Virgil slowly reached out and took some of the berries from in front of him. He took one up to his mouth eyeing the others warily, then popped it in and started chewing eyes widening at the taste of the perfectly ripe fruit.

There was a collective sigh of relief before the other three continued eating. The atmosphere was tense throughout the meal and Patton, being the friendliest, decided to break it by saying; “by the way I’m Patton, this is Roman and that’s Logan,” he pointed to each person respectively. “What’s your name?”

Virgil stilled for a moment, a berry halfway to his mouth, then defensively asked; “why do you want to know?”

“Well, we want to call you something.”

“I don’t really want to tell you,” he mumbled.

“That’s okay kiddo, do you have a nickname or anything like that?” Patton tried.

Virgil shook his head no. Knowing that this conversation was going nowhere Roman asked them something they probably should have discussed before now; “what are we doing now, where are we going to go? We don’t have an awful lot of stock left.”

Patton shrugged and Logan thought for a moment before answering; “well, we should get some more stock first, there is a market in the town close to here, we do have some money but will still have to be smart about how we spend it.” He shot a look to Patton and Roman who both tended to insist they needed something they actually didn’t just because they liked it, hence the reason Roman had a dark brown jacket tied around his waist that he never seemed to use despite saying that he would.

“Is there anything you want to do or see kiddo?” Patton asked the darkly dressed boy.

Virgil looked up surprised, both by the fact that he was being asked that and because they all seemed to care about what his answer would be. He took a minute to gather his thoughts and remembered that is was now 2 days until his 15th birthday meaning that the strange lights would appear again. That was the only thing that had really interested him about the outside world. He had been smart enough not to ask his dads about them but just somehow knew that they weren’t stars. He wasn’t sure if it was a good answer but he took a deep breath to try and get rid of some of his nerves then he quietly said; “um, the light things are gonna be up in a couple days right? Could we maybe see them?”

“Ah, the lanterns for the lost Prince. I suppose that is something that you would be able to see from... We have plenty of time to collect supplies then,” Logan said fidgeting with his glasses.

“Lanterns for the lost Prince?” Virgil repeated softly.

“Yeah, it will be 15 years now since the Prince was kidnapped from the palace because he had magic hair from a flower that cured the Queen of an illness she had during pregnancy. From the stories I’ve heard someone had already found the flower and was using its power before it was used to heal the dying Queen. The flower is a drop of moonlight that came down to the earth, no one knows why it just fell from the sky one night. Some people say it was a gift from the Gods for the Queen because they knew what was going to happen and wanted to help. The royal emblem changed after the flower was used in its honour and to remind the people of what happened. They still haven’t found the Prince but the King and Queen never gave up hope so each year on the Prince’s birthday they send out lanterns in hope that it will guide their son home,” Roman explained like the storyteller he had always dreamed of being.

Virgil took that in but then was flooded with thoughts. 

‘It’s the same day as my birthday!’  
‘Both 15 years!’  
‘I’ve been hidden in a tower my whole life!’  
‘It must just be a coincidence.’  
‘I’m not a Prince, there is no way’  
‘I’m too disgusting and ugly to be a Prince.’

His thought started spiralling until he was brought out of it by a hand being placed gently on his shoulder making him flinch harshly. He looked up to find three concerned glances which only made him confused because no one cared about him. Right? And even if these people did then, they wouldn’t once they realise how annoying he is.

Virgil shuffled back away from the group and tried to stand to back away from the group, forgetting his injured ankle and falling against a tree with a pained hiss making Patton jump into action and rush to stand in front of the boy who tried to back away again only to fall into Logan’s waiting arms.

Logan lowered the squirming boy to the ground again while he said; “your ankle will take at least 5 days to properly heal so I suggest that one of us helps you walk in the meantime, or we could find a good stick to use as a sort of crutch.”

Virgil started to thrash against the arms holding him in place but only managed to accidently put pressure on one of the more tender bruises on his ribs making him gasp in pain for a moment. Logan tried to gently hold the boy still, he had a gentle hold on both wrists and held them softly against the skinny boy’s chest, knowing that he was panicked enough to try and run off again which would only serve to worsen his injuries. Patton stepped forwards and cupped the boy’s bruised cheek brushing his thumb gently over his cheekbone in a soothing way effectively stilling the boy and making him look at the glasses-wearing boy with wide eyes having never been touched so gently before.

“Shhh, it’s okay. No one is going to hurt you. I need you to breathe. Good job. There we are.” Patton comforted.

Virgil slowly relaxed into Logan’s arms and subconsciously nuzzled into Patton’s hand still resting on his cheek. They all watched, Roman having shuffled to beside Logan, as he became more and more relaxed and soon found it hard to keep his eyes open for long. The friends had guessed that the mysterious boy hadn’t gotten much love or hugs where he was living but none would have guessed that some simple touches would help him relax this much.

“You must be tired kiddo, how about you get a bit more sleep then we can get supplies. No rush, just rest up okay?” Patton gently said as he started running his hand through the boy’s beautiful hair. This was all the permission Virgil seemed to need as his body almost collapsed onto Logan and a deep rumbling started within him as a reaction to the soft touches.

After a couple of minutes of watching the boy while his breathing evened out and his face relaxed a considerable amount, Logan and Patton manoeuvred him so that his head was resting on Patton’s lap so he could keep running his hand through his hair as that seemed to help him sleep.

Logan and Roman started planning the route through the forest, then once they had finished, went back over to the other two, the satchel strapped across Logan’s shoulder again, and settled down as talking softly to not wake up the sleep-deprived boy.

\---

Meanwhile, Janus and Remus had started a new potion that would make it easier to steal things when they realised that they needed an ingredient that they had stocked at the tower. They brought a bag and were delighted by the fact that they could have some more fun with their slave of a son.

Once they made it to the tower, they called up to Virgil to get him to release the rope. When nothing happened for a little while they called again, now getting angry, and started to discuss how they could punish him. After another few minutes of complete silence from the tower the two men, now definitely pissed off, stormed their way to the back of the tower where a door was safely hidden from view by some rocks and ivy. They opened up the door and climbed the stairs that led to a trapdoor near the stairs inside the main room of the tower.

Now they were both standing inside, Remus stomped his way up the stairs in a silent rage to find the kid. He tore all of the upstairs rooms apart looking for him while Janus searched downstairs finding that the food they left was now gone and that there was a piece of scrunched up paper on the floor.

“REMUS! Get your fucking ass down here!” He screamed.

Remus appeared at the top of the stairs and Janus held up the paper, “seems like our slave had some visitors.”

Remus basically jumped down the steps and ran towards where Janus was unfolding the paper which was revealed to be a wanted poster for three men. They looked at each other with the silent confirmation that they knew the potion they could make to lead them to Virgil using a piece of the boy’s old clothing so that they could get him back before it was discovered that he was the missing Prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as fluff? Honestly, it might considering the kind of things I write lol.
> 
> Take care everyone, you deserve it <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy moly, thank you all so much for reading and congrats if you made it this far!!!
> 
> There is a lot of people to disappoint now (I probably have disappointed most of them anyway lmao)
> 
> Warnings; anxiety, self-deprecating thoughts, referenced child abuse, implied non-con content (nothing happens), violence (not really in detail tho), exhaustion and mentions of collapsing from exhaustion

Waking up slowly Virgil realised that he was most definitely not at the tower and this was real, not just a very vivid dream. There was something soft under his head and he could hear soft talking so he acted as if he was still asleep so that he could listen in case it was something bad.

“- only mid-morning so we have plenty of time.”

“Yeah, he needs his sleep. What happened to him in that ugly tower?” He thought that was Patton but couldn’t figure out why he sounded so sad and disgusted. His dads treated him fine, he may not like it, but he knew he deserved it, weren’t all homes like that?

“I swear I’m going to kill whoever did that to him!”

“No, we’re going to get them arrested so that they can be dealt with properly. We will have to be careful, so we don’t also get arrested though.” That was Logan again, Virgil didn’t know what he meant by him saying that they would also be arrested. Did they do something illegal? Were they dangerous? They seemed nice enough, but Virgil knew he should not trust strangers.

“I guess that is a better option. I just hate that he had to live through something like that.”

“Me too kiddo, but all we can do for him now is show that we care and hopefully he will open up to us.”

Virgil visibly shivered as a gust of wind seemed to pass through him. The others noticed and Roman untied the jacket from his waist and cautiously draped it over the thin teen. Virgil stiffened at first but soon relaxed again under the warmth of the jacket, curling into more of a ball, which resulted in a soft coo from Patton who had now returned to stroking his hair. He was still tired and more relaxed than he had been in a long, long time so he quickly drifted off again.

\---

The next time Virgil woke up it was with a stretch and a soft groan. He realised that he was laying on something soft, and now that he could form proper thoughts, he jerked away once he saw that it was Patton’s lap.

“Sleeping beauty has finally awoken!” Roman exclaimed giving a grand gesture from his place to the left of Patton. Virgil looked down embarrassed, the sun was now up most of the way signalling that it was about midday.

“Would you prefer to have one of us help you walk, one of us carry you or use a stick to help?” Logan said standing up then holding out a hand to help Patton up.

Roman did the same to Virgil who hesitantly took his hand and hauled himself up without putting pressure on his twisted ankle. He gave a soft shrug which made him notice the jacket. He was tempted to take it off and give it back to whoever owned it but Patton helped him put the jacket on properly softly saying that he would be cold because he was so skinny. No one said anything so Roman said; “is it okay if I give you a piggyback ride then?”

“What’s that?” Virgil replied looking at him confused only to be given a slightly shocked and confused look in return.

“It’s where I carry you on my back and you hook your arms and legs around me.”

Virgil looked down before realising that he felt like he had been trampled by a horse and that he was still hungry, he thought that if he tried to walk that he would be in pain but didn’t want to be touched by anyone or burden the other teens more than he already had, so he slowly shook his head no making sure he wouldn’t anger them. Logan seemed to have already thought of this outcome so he passed Virgil a long and strong stick which he could use. 

They had been walking for about 20 minutes before Virgil started to feel like his body could give out at any given moment. He thought that his body was stupid because he did chores every day but couldn’t handle walking for a tiny fraction of a day.

Logan was keeping an eye on Virgil to see if he was okay, as had Patton who was walking beside the boy, so he noticed that Virgil was shaking slightly and was wobbling every so often, so he nudged Roman who was walking beside him and subtly pointed his attention to the boy they had rescued. Roman observed him for about 30 seconds before stopping the group and saying softly “hey, I’m going to carry you now. I know you might be uncomfortable, but we really don’t want you to collapse again, okay?”

Virgil nodded slowly so to not make himself dizzy and let himself gently be led closer to the other two by Patton softly taking his hand and Logan removing the stick from his grasp, leaving it leaning against a nearby tree.

Roman slowly moved in front of him then bent down while Patton made his way over to help him climb onto Roman’s back and showed him where to put his arms and legs.

Once Virgil was on safely and Roman had a good hold on his legs, he stood up earning a surprised squeak from the boy followed by an embarrassed groan. This earned a soft chuckle from both Roman and Patton while Logan showed a soft and genuine smile.

Logan led the way seeing as he knew how to get there the best. Patton walked beside him while Roman and Virgil were slightly behind. Roman didn’t once feel like he needed a break or that he should put Virgil down seeing as he was the strongest of the group and Virgil was far too light.

It took them about an hour to be able to see the town but by then they had all grown hungry, so they stopped in a small café on the edge of the town that seemed relatively empty. Roman slowly lowered Virgil down and offered to help him walk but Virgil said that he was fine and instead slightly limped around managing to keep pace with the others as he was used to covering up a limp.

They sat down at a table, Virgil getting some strange looks most likely because of his hair and snow coloured skin. Their small but relatively filling sandwiches were served fairly quickly and they all dug in before Logan paid seeing as he was the one carrying the money.

The small group was just about to leave however the door was slammed shut right in front of them by a muscly man holding a wanted poster… for the three of them.

“This picture look familiar boys?” He snarled showing his yellowing teeth and showering the teens with his smelly breath. “Scotty go grab some guards; I could do with that handsome reward.”

Another man, Scotty, who was slightly less muscular ran out the door before it was slammed shut again. Roman was now shielding Virgil and Patton between himself and Logan seeing that other customers in the café were now closing in on them. Logan was trying to do the same at the front of the group as the man was stepping towards them.

Without warning the men surrounding them grabbed onto the teenage thieves and quickly restrained them using their strong arms, leaving Virgil unprotected and scared surrounded by people who could easily hurt him.

A new man stepped forward and snatched Virgil by the arm and pulled him to his toned chest. He stroked the side of the struggling boy’s face and said, “this one would catch a fair price, I would have him to myself first though.” He and some others chuckled, and some others said they would want to join.

“Leave him alone!” Roman called out angrily, struggling more harshly against the limbs that trapped him.

“Aw, does your boyfriend want to watch?” He said to Virgil making a few men chuckle again.

Virgil started shaking not liking where this could go, he had only started to think that Remus was wrong with all his stories but it seems like they were true and he should have stayed in the tower, or at least gone back when he had the chance.

“What’s wrong babe? Scared?”

Virgil had had enough of this and surged forwards, kicking where he knew it would hurt using his uninjured foot and hard boots to send the man to the ground with a shout of pain. As soon as the man didn’t have a hold on him anymore, he backed up and looked around for a weapon. He spotted a frying pan over a fire just over the till area. He dashed for it picking it up just as another man reached out for him, he smacked the man over the head with a thunderous clang which made some others also surge forwards to attack.

One by one they were knocked down though Virgil received some nasty blows, one knocking him to the floor making him see stars for a moment before he pushed through it. While this was happening, Logan had reached into the satchel and grabbed the three knives he had taken from the tower and used them to attack and knock out the men holding himself, Patton and Roman.

After all the men were knocked down and all of the other customers had fled not wanting to be part of the fight, the four teenagers stood catching their breath. Virgil was now exhausted again and scared, he was leaning heavily on one of the counters. He dropped the frying pan on the ground making the other three look over at him. Patton, having not participated in the fight much because he was the last to be freed, walked over and guided him to a chair fussing over him and checking his new injuries, which he plopped onto with a sigh.

“We should move, someone went to get guards and they will be here shortly.” Logan pointed out.

“I remember I came here as a kid a couple times, there should be a tunnel from behind the bar leading away from the town. I don’t know exactly where it comes out, but it is our best bet to not get spotted again.” Roman said making his way over to the bar and spotting a faded picture on the floor that matched one of the beer tap handles.

He pulled the handle in the hopes that it would be the right one. A deep rumbling sound came from the ground and a trapdoor opened revealing a dark tunnel. Logan walked over and quickly crafted a makeshift torch from a piece of wood and string he found in the kitchen area, lighting it over the fire warming the café.

Patton helped Virgil stand and held his hand to pull the boy along to ensure that he didn’t fall behind. The group slid down the door to reach the floor of the cave, Logan leading seeing as he had the torch, beside him was Roman and just behind them was Patton and Virgil who was still catching his breath and shaking slightly, still working his way down from a panic attack.

The trapdoor closed again with a loud rumble which echoed through the tunnel making Virgil flinch. Just as the trapdoor finished closing, loud thudding could be heard from inside the café which came from the door being knocked down by Scotty and the guards. The trapdoor gave one more loud click before it was silent giving away a clue as to where the boys went.

The teenagers sped up as to not be caught but managed to hear a ruckus before the trapdoor started to open again a few minutes later, the sound echoing through the tunnel so they could hear it. The boys started running as fast as they could to get away from the guards who were now shouting at them. There was enough of a gap between the two groups for them not to be able to see each other.

After a couple minutes of running, they saw light and sped up a bit before abruptly stopping seeing as they had reached a drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to take care of yourselves and scream at me in the comments if I made a mistake in the chapter, tags or warnings <333


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So... Thomas is a non-binary horse now... um... yeah I don't know why but I realised that I hadn't actually used pronouns for them yet.
> 
> I want to say that Virgil is pretty much 15 (his bday is in the next chapter) and he is the shortest by quite a bit because he didn't have all the right nutrition and stuff in the tower, Logan is a couple of inches taller than him and is the 2nd oldest (16). Patton is a little bit taller that Logan and is the 2nd youngest but is still 16, Roman is both the tallest, by a few inches and has just turned 17.
> 
> I also had to use google to find out what the brothers were called lol.
> 
> Warnings; weapons (mainly some sort of knife), injuries (not described in detail), being knocked out, fighting, almost drowning

Right in front of them was a loose and unsafe looking ladder, it seemed like it was their only chance to escape though so they stepped forward to quickly try and figure out how to safely and quickly climb down it. They saw a cave entrance that wasn’t boarded off in front of them, even though it was kind of far away, it seemed to be their best bet at escape.

Before they could make any progress, a loud banging could be heard echoing around the dam and suddenly the wood blocking off one of the tunnel entrances splintered through the air and the Stabbington brothers stepped into the warm air. The four guards had now caught up with them and were running out of the tunnel the group had just exited. Closely following them was Thomas who looked quite angry which was very strange for a horse.

While Roman was getting ready to defend his friends and Patton was trying to watch everyone at once, Logan and Virgil were working quickly and efficiently to create an escape plan finding some really long pieces of rope that seemed strong enough to use. Virgil, being the most experienced with rope, tied a large knot in one end and lassoed it to a large rock on a different and high up ledge. He quickly wrapped his arms around Patton after securing the rope around his waist and stepped off the ledge earning a scream from Patton who clung onto him for dear life.

This seemed to stir everyone into action and the guards launched forwards to fight Roman who was successfully keeping them away from Logan, who had caught the end of the rope that Virgil had thrown back over, and was tying it around his waist while Virgil secured it at his end with the help of Patton.

Roman, who was fighting with the knife Logan had handed to him in the café, was winning and had managed to daze or knock out all four guards. He was now tossing the knife up and catching it by the handle, a move that he would be scolded for by both Logan and Patton if they saw. He was shocked out of his celebratory daze by Thomas stepping forward holding a small sword from one of the guards between their teeth.

While the teen and horse were fighting Roman shouted; “you should know that this is the strangest thing I’ve ever done!”

The rope was now secure at both ends and Logan had figured out where he was going to aim for, so he stepped towards Roman and Thomas. It was a fair fight as both were quite skilled but Thomas managed to slice Roman’s arm that was holding the knife from his shoulder to just above his elbow making him drop the knife which fell over the ledge and hit the bottom with a clang.

Roman put his hands up in surrender and said with a sly smile: “how about 2 out of 3?”

Thomas stepped forward a bit more and Logan took this as his cue, so he ran to Roman and grabbed his waist then ran off the ledge while Roman smirked and saluted sarcastically to Thomas who dropped his weapon in shock. Roman latches on to Logan as they are swinging and both see that the Stabbington brothers are trying to line up with their path, both wielding large sharp machetes and getting ready to swing.

They both lifted up their legs and Virgil and Patton pulled on the rope at their end to bring them up a bit higher. The two land safely on part of the structure of the dam, which was not Logan’s original goal, but it was something he could work with.

A loud thudding is heard near the ledge that Patton and Virgil are undoing the rope on and they all look over to see that Thomas is using their strong hind legs to kick a support beam down to use as a bridge. The two speed up with the rope and wrap it around themselves and get ready to jump. The end of the beam drops onto the ledge they are on and Thomas proudly stalks his way over it as Roman and Logan yell at the other teenagers to jump as they have secured the rope enough to be able to support them. Water has been surging out of the hole created by the support beam being ripped out of place, but no one has noticed it yet.

Just as Thomas starts to reach for them with their mouth the two jump and are narrowly missed by the horse’s strong jaw. They swing to the ground, skidding into a large puddle to support their legs and all four teenagers drop the rope.

Virgil and Patton are now running towards the tunnel entrance being chased closely by the Stabbington brothers who, stupid as they may be, have figured out where they are running to while Logan and Roman slide on their feet using the structure to help them. They use part of the structure to push themselves faster but it starts to collapse as it is quite old and they jump from piece to piece then roll when they hit the ground a bit behind the other two.

They run as a group with the Stabbington brothers close behind while the dam completely collapses and a massive wave crashes against the guards, then Thomas followed by the Stabbington brothers swallowing them completely. They reach the entrance with the wave rushing behind them, it crashes against a tall stone structure which falls and blocks the tunnel entrance effectively trapping them.

They run to the back of the cave as water starts gushing in, they look back and see that the cave only reaches a few metres back and is quickly filling up. Patton and Roman dive into the water to look for an exit or loose stones that they can pull away to make an exit while Virgil and Logan look above the surface of the quickly rising water.

After a little while of frantic searching, Patton and Roman resurface and help look above the water which has now reached above their waists. As they are feeling for loose rocks, Patton slices his palm on a particularly sharp one and lets out a hiss of pain and clutches the injury with his other hand while they all continue to search.

Virgil, who is now breathing heavily, dives down into the water but Roman catches him just as he submerges and holds the shaking boy to his chest while he strokes his hair out of his face and softly says: “there’s no point, it’s pitch black down there.”

The other two give up looking and they all huddle together, holding each other for what could be the last time ever.

“I’m so sorry,” Virgil almost sobs out, “it’s all my fault, I should have just gone back to the tower when I had the chance, that way we wouldn’t be about to… about to die.”

Patton cradles his face softly with his uninjured hand and says both sternly and softly, “hey now, none of that. Knowing all of you has been amazing and I love you all, so much. If this is the end then I am just happy that I got to spend time with all of you.”

“Me too. I know I don’t like showing emotions, but you have all made me realise that no matter how much I hide them they will always be there. I now understand them, you are my family and I love you.” Logan said with tears pooling in his eyes.

“I never really had a family before, but you guys are more than I could have ever dreamed of. Meeting the three of you are the best things that have ever happened to me, I’m truly honoured to have known such amazing people,” Roman said holding them all closer.

“I have magic hair that glows when I sing or hum,” Virgil said softly. He then realised what he had said and that he could help, “I have magic hair that glows when I sing or hum!”

The water was now at their necks and was rising very fast, so Virgil started humming the familiar tune. The others gently let him go but kept holding onto each other as they could not bear to properly let go of their family, especially if this was the end. They each took in a large breath as the water completely filled the cave.

Not a moment later Virgil’s hair started to glow like the moon on a clear night with wisps of purple throughout. They opened their eyes and Roman accidentally opened his mouth and lost some of the air he took in moments before in shock, Patton and Logan were just watching with wide eyes and shocked expressions. The glow from Virgil’s hair started to taper off slightly and formed into wisps that moved to some loose looking stones near the bottom of the cave.

The group rushed towards the stones, Virgil moving first which then shocked the others into moving too and started to pull at the rocks with a force they didn’t know they had left in them.

The rocks were giving way fairly easily and some of the light from Virgil’s magic was moving in the hole, presumably making sure that the rest of the wall didn’t collapse onto them. It took them less than a minute to break through the wall and push the remaining stones away. The force of the water now flowing through the hole helped push them through and they landed in a lake.

They helped each other to the edge, Logan holding onto Virgil by his waist because he both did not know how to swim for obvious reasons and because he was utterly exhausted and in pain.

Once they had pulled themselves onto the riverbank and away from the water, they each took a minute to just hold hands, lay down and calm their breathing.

Then the reality of what had just happened and what three of them had just witnessed hit them.

Roman jumped up and started pacing and word vomiting questions while trying to make wild gestures but forgetting about his injury, letting out a shout of pain before he cradles it to his chest. Logan sat up and was staring at Virgil with a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue but none leaving his lips, he then rushes to help Roman seeing that he had turned pale and seemed to have lost quite a lot of blood. And Patton, after getting over his initial shock, launched into Virgil trapping him in a hug consistently mumbling about how cool it looked while holding Virgil by his shoulders and staring into his mismatched eyes.

“Guys!” Virgil almost shouted now sick of the attention and getting concerned about the two injuries his friends(?) had. “It doesn’t just glow.”

They each gave him a confused look, Roman had stopped his pacing and frantic questions and was letting Logan look at his injury and Patton had stopped his mumbling of praises. Virgil stood up and made eye contact with each of them then mumbled something about finding a place to sleep and settle down in the forest for the night first while wrapping his arms around himself to help comfort himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I made a mistake or should update/change the tags/warnings then please let me know <333
> 
> I also want to point out that Patton is not useless and can fight but prefers not to useless it is necessary or someone he loves is in danger, such as in the cafe.
> 
> Take care everyone, sending virtual affection <333


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't really the best so I might edit it later on in the week, so sorry about that.
> 
> I want to make this very clear; I am white. I fully support the BLM movement and ACAB. Racism isn't just a problem in America and I am sending all my love and support from the UK. 
> 
> If you are safe to do so, please sign petitions, donate (it's okay if you can't), stream videos on YouTube that will donate for you, protest if possible or at LEAST show support on social media and spread links to other people.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter are injuries, crying, child abuse, gagging (non-sexual), rope burn, feeling nauseous, talk of vomit, panic attack, dangling from a height, 1 punch

“Those boys look like fun. Can we play with them Jayjay? Pleeeeease?” Remus whined leaning into his companion.

“They do have it out for the thieves…” Janus hummed while tapping his index finger against his lips in consideration. “Yes. I think I know how they can help.”

The men turned away from the fading picture they had projected onto the wall of their cabin. Just moments ago it had shown the paused image of the group of boys running from the Stabbington brothers and a massive wave of water.

They then set out to find the brothers, easily tracking down the exit from the old dam that they would use thanks to some simple magic.

\---

The Stabbington brothers, still soaking wet, had now climbed up and out of an exit from the dam and were entering the woods once more.

Janus and Remus had positioned themselves against a large rock waiting for them.

“Hello boys,” Remus had obnoxiously shrieked upon seeing the two, he then jumped towards them like a rabbit on drugs and put an arm around each brother’s shoulders ignoring their disgusted looks. He turned them to face Janus.

“We have a common enemy. We should work together and maybe you can get something good out of it,” Janus stated, getting straight to the point and easily setting up their manipulation.

The brothers turned to face each other and silent conversation around the darkly dressed man between them.

After a couple of moments of silence, the brother with the scar across his face growled out “what would we get?”

“Why you would get to do what you want to a certain trio of teenage boys, annnnnnd you get access to a special treat. If you help us.” Remus said moving around the brothers in a circling motion like a sheepdog herding its sheep.

Another silent conversation was held between the brothers before one important word was said.

“Deal.”

\---

The four teenagers had now found a small clearing in the woods with a fallen tree they could sit on. A small fire was going to keep them warm and some fresh berries had been collected. They had been pretty silent up until this point, waiting for Virgil to speak first.

The silence was eventually interrupted by Virgil sighing and clearing his throat causing the other three to take their attention away from the crackling fire to look at him.

“So… I guess I should tell you about my hair?” He said, it sounded more like a question, but the others knew he was very anxious so let him take his time.

He sighs, “it will be easier to just show you, then you can ask questions,” he said moving to sit between Patton and Roman then touching both of their shoulders.

They were all watching him intently and had shuffled closer. Virgil took a deep breath to calm himself then started to softly sing.

“Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine”

While he was singing the other three were watching intently as his hair started to glow like the moon on a clear night and his eyes turn a soft purple. Just like in the cave little wisps of light floated off of his hair and travelled down his arms, they then floated into Patton and Roman’s bodies and disappeared. Their wounds then began to glow a bright white and the area numbed slightly so that they didn’t feel anything.

As the song was finishing the light faded from the wounds and the skin was now completely healed with no scar tissue to be seen. His hair went back to its normal shade and his eyes returned to their purple and brown colours. He took his hands off of Patton and Roman and they were all silent for a minute taking in what they just say again while Virgil was biting his lip trying not to let himself spiral.

Patton launched at him and pulled him into a hug while giggling and rambling about how cool it was while Roman was still checking out where his wound was to make sure what had just happened was real.

Patton let him go but still kept a hand on his knee, he was smiling widely. Logan cleared his throat and asked, “is this why you never left the tower?”

“Uh, yeah, sorta. My dads always said that if I left then people would use me for my hair and hurt me. They would tell me awful stories about what happens and what the people are like and that was proven to be true at the café. I should just go back home, I’m safer there.”

They all looked disgusted at what they had just heard and were upset about how twisted his view on reality was. Roman was the first to speak “not everyone is like the people in the café. Yeas, there are bad people out there, but there are plenty of good people too. We will protect you from them and we will never, ever let you go back to that tower. You are injured and have proven yourself to be extremely strong and courageous. Your part of our family now, and there is no way we are letting you go now.”

He finished with a smile and Virgil looked up at him with awe, having previously not believed that there were people who actually care about him and want to protect him. He launched himself at Roman before he got the chance to question himself and started crying into his shoulder as Roman wrapped him in strong arms and whispered sweet nothings into his ear.

Patton and Logan moved closer to the two and started stroking his hair and back respectively. At first, Virgil tensed at all of the touches then quickly relaxed into it, almost melting into Roman’s chest as his sobbing died down.

“Is it okay if I ask a couple of questions about your hair? You don’t have to answer them, I’m just curious.” Logan asked moving his hand away from his back.

Virgil nodded and moved slightly away from Roman so that now they sat side by side and Roman had his arm wrapped around his back. Patton took hold of his hand and consistently ran his thumb over his knuckles and played with his fingers.

“I tried to leave once,” he started and after a deep sigh, he continued “I was so sure that it would work. I waited long after they fell asleep and tried to grab a bit of food before I went over to the window. I opened it and stood on the windowsill with the rope in my hands. I was just about to step off when I heard Remus behind me…”

_“Well, well, well, what have we here?” he hummed. “Looks like our baby is finally trying to sprout some wings.”_

_Janus seemed to appear from the shadows and grabbed the boy by his waist, trapping his arms to his sides and pinning him to the spot. “Get the rope Remus, it looks like we need to teach this bird what happens when they try to leave the nest when they aren’t supposed to.”_

_Remus shrieked happily and skipped over to the window where the long rope was already tied up. “How should we do it, Jay? Ankles, arms or waist?”_

_“How about, seeing that this brat wants to sprout wings so bad, he can try it like a caterpillar, hm?”_

_“I like the way you think Jayjay!”_

_Virgil tried to squirm out of Janus’ grip but he had a strong hold on the 13-year-old. His breathing began to quicken more once Remus started to step closer with the long rope._

_He struggled out of sheer panic but was dazed by a swift punch to his temple. He barely registered the rope being tied too tight around his waist and arms, then being wrapped around the rest of his body making it hard to move at all because of how tight it was._

_The next thing he noticed was that something salty and wet was being shoved into his mouth and he tried to spit it out but it was blocked by a coarse rope being wrapped around his mouth and digging into his swollen cheeks._

_He regained a small amount of his senses when he was being dropped out of the window, he tried to scream but no sound came out. He tried to move but was cocooned with rope. He tried to breathe but the rope around his chest made it hard to take in too much air._

_He felt like he was falling for hours but in reality, it had only been a few seconds when he came to a harsh stop, the rope tightening in a few areas leaving serious rope burn on his delicate skin. He was now facing down towards the ground and was suspended sideways in the air about a quarter of the way down the tower._

_His vision blurred a lot and he could barely make out Remus shouting down that he would be there for a day if he “behaved well” over the frantic beating of his heart. Eventually, the panic attack took over his body and soon he was seeing black spots in his vision before he passed out properly._

_He woke a few hours later to the rope swinging and spinning him around. He felt sick but had nothing to vomit or any way to vomit seeing as his mouth was gagged._

_He was finally tugged back up to the tower 2 days later and once the rope was off, some stale bread and water were shoved towards him then he was sent to his room where he collapsed into a deep and unsteady sleep._

By the time Virgil had finished sharing the memory himself and Patton had a steady stream of tears trailing down their faces and Roman and Logan both looked ready to murder someone whilst also holding back tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if I made any mistakes/should update/change any tags/warnings.
> 
> Black lives matter. If you don't support that and/or are racist then I do NOT respect you.
> 
> I love you all <333


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I was gone for a while and that the chapters might not be as good as I wasn't them to be for a little bit.
> 
> Also, keep in mind that the others don't know Virgil's name yet and I'll explain why later so if I make one of them say it please tell me so I can fix it!
> 
> Warnings: like 2 f words, references to abuse and manipulation
> 
> As always please let me know if I made any mistakes or should update anything.

There had been silence for a couple of minutes now and no one was sure what to do.

“That…” Logan started, his voice thick with the emotions that he so desperately tried to hide, “that isn’t at all right and… it’s… it’s _abuse_. I’m never going to let you go back there as long as I live.”

He spoke with so much emotion, especially determination, that it made everyone snap their heads up to look at him. This also spurred the rest of them into action.

Roman and Patton hugged him like they never would be able to again and for the first time ever, Virgil felt loved.

After almost half an hour of hugging and comforting words, the three thieves slowly separated from the boy they all swore to protect. They had all been crying so they spent some time fixing their appearance and wiping tear tracks from their cheeks.

Virgil still wasn’t sure about how wrong his old dads had been by hurting him. He had always thought that he deserved it and that it was pretty normal but now he had learned otherwise. He was obviously conflicted and it would take time but the others would definitely show him how he deserved to be treated and how wrong it was to be treated like he was.

By now the fire wasn’t burning nearly as much and their sticks for the fire were running low so Logan and Roman went to collect some more leaving Patton and Virgil to talk a little.

“So, how you feeling kiddo?” Patton gently questioned.

Virgil only responded with a half-hearted shrug and a quiet sniffle which Patton responded to by shuffling closer and pulling Virgil so that they were side by side and leaning on each other. He leaned down slightly and whispered; “whatever you’re feeling right now is valid, we all care about you and want you to be safe and we will protect you with our lives. It will take time, but if you don’t feel comfortable around us or want some alone time then we won’t be mad or upset if you ask, okay?”

Virgil took a moment to take in the information and slowly nodded earning a soft smile from Patton.

Distant bickering could be heard from the direction Logan and Roman had gone so Patton got up with an apology and went to check on the two.

As soon as Patton had completely disappeared from view Janus stepped out from his hiding spot behind Virgil with Remus going round to sneak up on him. “Wow, I thought they would never leave,” he said making Virgil shoot up and twirl round to see him, clearly startled.

Virgil stayed silent but glared at the man in yellow.

“Come, we should get you back home before these dangerous criminals can hurt you any more,” Janus said holding out a hand for Virgil to take and smiling slightly to try and seem welcoming.

Virgil hesitated and dropped his arms to his sides from where they were crossed against his chest before softly saying “no.”

“ _What_ did you say?” Janus hissed stepping forward and dropping the ‘nice guy’ act instantly.

There was no hesitation this time and despite his shaking hands Virgil spoke with confidence and determination “ **no**.”

“ _No_? Huh, you are further gone than I thought. Tell me, _Virgil_ , how long will it be before they leave you alone? How long until they realise how much of a burden you are hm? The people out here want nothing but to use you and as soon as they realise how disgusting and useless you really are, they won’t hesitate to leave you bleeding and alone.”

Janus stepped closer and closer to the small teenager so much that he backed into the chest of Remus who instantly kept him in place by putting strong hands on his shoulders and digging his nails in through the thin cloth.

Virgil was trying to stay strong, but all of his previous confidence had completely vanished as he realised he had no way out of this and he couldn’t call for the others because then they would get hurt. He already thought about all of the things that Janus was telling him but hearing them out loud only made the thoughts stronger.

“What’s wrong flower?” Remus hummed in his ear, “we’re only trying to help before you get hurt.”

Janus stroked the teen’s cheek with a gloved hand almost gently and fake cooing ignoring the boy’s flinch at the touch.

Janus lightly hit Virgil’s cheek twice while sighing dramatically, “well then Remus I guess we better leave this one to find out for himself what these people are really like.”

Remus chuckled as he harshly pushed Virgil to the ground near where he was sitting before, “don’t come crying to us when we are proven right little one. You had your chance. You're all alone now.”

And with that, the two adults went back into the forest to see the Stabbington brothers who had watched the whole thing.

The one with the scar on his face spoke in an angry tone, “I thought you said you were going to take him.”

To which Janus responded to by saying; “all in good time boys, all in good time.”

With that, they went back to hiding but were less interested in what the teenagers were talking about and more about where they would go when morning came.

\---

Roman and Logan had just walked away from the clearing looking for sticks when Roman spoke. “I’m going to _kill_ them. How… how **DARE** they do that to him!”

Logan looked at him and sighed, “I know, I want to as well, but we **aren’t** going to.”

Roman snapped his attention to Logan and hissed; “why the hell not! They fucking deserve it!”

“I know they do Roman but it isn’t up to us, we will keep him safe and make sure that those… those _**monsters**_ get what the punishment they deserve.”

Logan couldn’t look at Roman, so he searched the ground for sticks picking up some as he went.

“I don’t get how people can live with themselves when they do that. How can they even _think_ that it’s okay to do that, especially to a _kid_!”

“I don’t know Roman. The main thing we should do right now is to make sure he feels comfortable with us and that he knows that what happened is so _fucking_ wrong and most people wouldn’t even _think_ of doing that or anything close to it.”

They continued collecting sticks in silence for a little while before they started bickering again, mainly because they both had so much pent up aggression and other emotions, they both knew that they didn’t mean to personally hurt each other but couldn’t help but throw in a few jabs at each other. They must have raised their voices a tad too much because Patton found them and helped calm the situation.

\---

Virgil curled up with his back against the log and kept jumping at the slightest sound, his thoughts were all jumbled, but he was managing to keep his breathing steady. He knew that Janus and Remus were most likely watching him or were at least near where they were.

Soon enough he spotted the other three coming back to the clearing with more wood for the fire. There seemed to be a bit of tension between Roman and Logan but it didn’t seem too bad so he barely acknowledged it.

Patton seemed to pick up on the fact that Virgil was stressed so quietly asked if he was okay earning a shrug and nod from the boy. The other two also kept glancing at him when they thought he wasn’t looking so they also must have picked up on what he was feeling.

Once it gets a bit later, the argument between Logan and Roman is completely forgotten and they move closer together and cuddle with Patton once they all get tired. They invite Virgil to join them but he says that he’s okay by himself, they pout for a while but leave him alone because they don’t want to make him uncomfortable. However, once they all drift off Virgil moves a bit closer and ends up cuddling with Logan while they are both asleep because of how warm Logan was and how cold Virgil was. And if Logan woke up randomly in the night and smiled when he saw who’s head was on his chest and pulled the boy closer, then that was no one's business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of your comments, you are all too kind Istg <333
> 
> Please remember that racism is an actual problem and needs our help to be stopped. BLM is NOT a trend. Blue lives matter is not a good thing. Police CHOSE to be police but black people and people of colour DON'T choose their race. The same goes for the LGBTQ+ community. If you truly support BLM then you support ALL black lives including trans black people, non-binary black people, pansexual/romantic black people, bisexual/romantic people, gay/lesbian (sexual/romantic) black people, asexual black people, romantic black people and EVERYONE else in the community who is black or of colour.
> 
> ACAB
> 
> You are all amazing, beautiful and so fucking valid <333


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, just want to say that I am in no way abandoning this story. I'm really excited for the end but am extremely unmotivated and have been for most of quarantine.
> 
> There are no warnings for this chapter but if you see a mistake then please tell me.
> 
> Anyway, keep the BLM conversation going and make sure to stay up to date and continue doing what you can to help.

The next morning, a few hours after the sun had slowly lit up the forest, Patton, Logan and Virgil were jerked awake by a shrill yell. They quickly saw Roman who was still yelling and being pulled along the ground by his foot which was in the mouth of the horse they had seen back at the dam, Thomas.

Logan and Patton jumped into action by grabbing Roman and trying to get his foot out of Thomas’ mouth without hurting Roman. Virgil took a moment to figure out how to help before jumping in front of Thomas and putting his hands up to show he meant no harm and tried to get all of their attention.

“Woah, hey, hey, calm down, it’s okay,” Virgil tried getting into the horse’s line of sight.

He slowly moved his hand closer and closer to Thomas’ mouth and once his hand was there with no protest from Thomas, he gently pried Roman’s now empty boot out of their mouth and handed it to Patton who was behind him.

Thomas was now glaring between the three thieves and ignoring the boy who stood just to the side of him. Thomas took a step forwards continuing to glare at the three older teens when Virgil stepped back into his line of sight and gently put a hand on their nose and began stoking them and whispering.

“What’s up huh? Why don’t you like Roman?” Virgil looked at the horses’ harness and saw a symbol, a name and pronouns which he mumbled out loud.

“Thomas, they/them, okay buddy. What are you doing out here?”

Behind him, Roman now had his boot back on and the three were watching with fondness as the strange boy they still didn’t know the name of calmed the palace horse and was talking to them as if they were human. Perhaps this was because he had likely never talked to anything other than a human so wasn’t aware that people often talked to animals differently.

Thomas was once again glaring at the three and trying to nudge Virgil to their side so he wasn’t in their way. Virgil once again got in front of the horse and got their attention but Thomas kept glancing at the three behind Virgil.

“Woah, hey. Calm down, please don’t hurt them, they’re really nice.” Virgil said in a calming tone not looking behind him to see the three teens smile.

“Uh, do you remember when we said we were chased by a horse and that’s how we found the tower? Well, this is the horse,” Roman awkwardly said rubbing the back of his neck.

Virgil turned around slightly to look at them innocently asking; “why were you being chased by a horse again?”

“Um, good question kiddo!” Patton said looking anywhere but at Virgil.

Logan sighed knowing it would be best to just tell the truth and get it over with, “do you remember the men, not the guards, but the brothers back at the dam?” Virgil nodded so he continued, “well, they forced us to steal for them and the guards caught us, so they were chasing us through the forest with their horses. We managed to lose them though, but it seems that Thomas here was able to find us.”

Virgil looked confused for a bit while processing what Logan said and the three of them looked a bit sheepish. Virgil didn’t really mind that they stole something because it seemed like they didn’t really want to, but he didn’t really understand why so many guards were chasing them.

“Why were there so many guards, what did you steal?”

Logan rummaged around in the satchel for a couple of seconds before pulling out a small gold crown with various gems all colours of the rainbow near the base of the crown and some amethysts taking centre stage a bit above them.

Virgil and Thomas were both fascinated by the item and Virgil walked towards it, almost as if it was pulling him forwards. He reached out to touch it but took his hand away at the last second and seemed to snap out of a trance as he rapidly blinked and looked up at Logan who was looking at him curiously.

They both suddenly looked to Roman who had let out a high pitched shriek and was hiding behind Patton who was trying to calm down Thomas again because he was trying to get to Roman specifically.

Virgil ran over to them and got in front of Patton and with newfound determination, he said “Sit. Sit down and be a good horse, siiiit, good horse.”

He smiled as he gained Thomas’ attention and got them to sit and they let him hug them nuzzling their long head into Virgil’s back.

“Now, are you going to leave them alone?”

Thomas let out the closest thing to a huff they could and slowly nodded into Virgil’s back, Virgil then let out a little laugh and thanked the horse.

“Hey, Thomas? Could you do me a favour? Could you help us get to the village so we can see the floating lanterns tonight? You see it’s kinda my birthday and it’s the only time I’ll get to see them not from my tower window.”

As Thomas hesitantly nodded and nuzzled further into Virgil’s back Logan started questioning things. Virgil had just revealed that it was his birthday, the same day as the lost princes’ birthday and the anniversary of his kidnapping, and they already knew he had been kept in the tower for all his life which was highly suspicious. They had also recently found out that his hair was magic which could be a result of the Queen having to eat the moon flower to cure her of the sickness she had while pregnant.

Could this teenager in front of him be the lost prince? It was certainly likely based off of all the things they had noticed about him and they still didn’t know his name.

Just as Logan opened his mouth to ask Virgil about his name when distant bells could be heard most likely coming from a church in the village, which made the boy step away from Thomas to find out where they came from and what they were. Virgil stepped through some of the trees and let out an excited gasp as he saw the village in all of its glory with the caste up the hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all have a great day and stay as safe as possible. You all matter and are worthy of so much love and happiness, don't let anyone tell you otherwise <333


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I did it, but here is the next chapter.
> 
> The tower is mentioned and Virgil has a little anxiety moment but other than that it is all good.
> 
> There are some icky mushy moments too but there will probably be a few of those coming at the end. But there will be major angst soon so take the nice stuff while you still can I guess lol.

Virgil quickly walks over the bridge to the village with a bounce in his step he has never had before closely followed by the other 4. Almost as soon as he enters the village he is almost knocked down by some people walking by, then by a cart, then by another person holding a large pot of flowers. He quickly curls into himself as he realises that he is surrounded by people, people who keep brushing past him or accidentally pushing him.

The others are quick to notice that his breathing is becoming faster and more shallow so help guide him over to a fountain where there are only a group of young kids pleating and styling each other’s hair with flowers.

Patton is quick to remember that when he played with Virgil’s hair only a few days ago it helped relax the boy very quickly so after checking with Virgil if it was okay to do so, he went and asked the kids if they wanted to style Virgil’s hair, which they quickly agreed too after seeing how pretty it was.

It took about 45 minutes for the kids to decide on what they were going to do with his hair and to style it perfectly, adding in flowers which were mainly purple but also some variations of blue, red and pink. Virgil was almost melting he was so relaxed and he looked amazing. His hair was styled in a crown braid showing off his pale skin, brown and purple eyes, soft lips and slightly defined cheekbones.

The other 3 slightly older teens couldn’t stop stealing glances at him, especially as he smiled brightly when he was almost running to each stall to see what they were selling. Checking each time to see if the others were still behind him.

While in line for something Logan said they needed to get Virgil got distracted by a young child asking their mums about the Lost Prince who then explained exactly what Roman had said in the forest. Virgil looked behind them and was entranced by the mural of what he guessed was the King and Queen smiling and holding a baby with soft-looking white hair which was surprisingly about 5 inches long.

There was an odd sense of familiarity deep inside of Virgil at the sight of the people in the picture, but before he had the chance to properly question it his attention was snatched away by a strange but wonderful sound.

He soon found the others who explained it was music and led him over to where a few people had started dancing. Patton had now joined in taking Roman by the arm and dragging him in too. After a few minutes of them dancing they managed to drag Virgil in as well who managed to pick up on the dance quickly and be passed around from partner to partner without getting overwhelmed as there wasn’t any touching involved.

Logan was watching from the side with a fond smile but was quickly pushed in from behind by a certain horse who now seemed to be laughing at his exasperation.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and they managed to see a lot of things in the village. They bought Virgil a little cloth flag with the royal crest on which he hugged them all for, Virgil joined in some kids with chalk and drew a large version of the crest on the ground surrounded by pictures of families inspired by the people he saw around him with an intricate purple background which he was applauded for and got many compliments on making him blush profusely, they each enjoyed a fruit flavoured cupcake while hiding around a corner from some guards Thomas had alerted them about, keeping his promise with Virgil, and lastly, they went to the local library where Logan taught them all interesting facts about the world and it’s creatures and Roman and Patton acted out a fairy tale for them.

After they exited the library and were taking a short stroll through the village in the dying light they noticed that a lot of villagers were making their way to the docks so they could celebrate on the water. The five also made their way down to find a small boat that they could rent to take out to a more secluded area, the didn’t tell Virgil what was happening though so that it would be a surprise.

After the teenagers had loaded themselves into a small boat and said goodbye to Thomas, leaving him with plenty apples to keep him happy, they row into the middle of the lake surrounding the island and wait.

Virgil, having forgotten about the lanterns because of how much fun he had that day, asked what they were doing only to be told that it was a special surprise. He was obviously curious but trusted them enough to know that it wouldn’t be anything bad.

Virgil starts thinking and soon realises that his dream about seeing the lanterns is going to come true, but then what? After all those years kept away from everything, he had one dream and that one dream is about to come true. What if it isn’t as good as he hoped? What about after this? He has no plans and Patton, Logan and Roman probably won’t want him tagging along with them forever as much as he enjoys their company.

Patton had picked up on the fact that Virgil seemed worried about something so slowly put an arm around the smaller boy’s shoulder and pulled him closer to his chest which he smiled at and snuggled in obviously tired after the long day.

“What’s up, sweetheart?” Patton asked, smiling at the sight of a light blush on Virgil’s cheeks at the nickname.

“I just, I don’t know what to do after this. It’s all I’ve wanted for years and now it’s going to come true and I don’t know what comes next.”

Roman replied taking hold of one of Virgil’s hands and rubbing his thumb gently across his knuckles, “well, you can stay with us if you like and join us on various adventures travelling from kingdom to kingdom and meeting wonderful people!”

“Whatever happens, you will always be welcome with us, we won’t let you go back to that tower and we won’t let those people harm you ever again, okay?” Logan said sitting next to Roman and smiling.

\---

Up in the castle on top of the hill, the King and Queen were getting ready for the ceremony. The Queen adjusting the King’s necklace with the royal crest on and smoothing non-existent wrinkles from the man’s clothing.

The King gently cupped his Queen’s cheek and lifted her face so that their eyes would meet. They shared a sad smile and hugged both trying with everything they had that one day, their stolen son would return.

They made their way over to the balcony where two almost identical lanterns were waiting for them to let go and dried each other’s tears before holding hands, taking a deep breath and lifting the lanterns into the air.

As soon as the two lanterns were spotted in the air, the villagers started lighting and letting go their own lanterns making a beautiful ripple effect throughout the winding streets and in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, stay as safe as possible and please take care of yourselves. Drink some water, remember to eat at least 2 proper meals with fruit and veg and take a shower/bath if you can. It's completely okay to cry and let yourself feel whatever you are feeling whether it is positive or negative.
> 
> You are all valid and matter so much to so many people <333


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I'm so sorry that I'm really inconsistent with uploading but I am definitely going to finish this story within the next few months, most likely before October.
> 
> Warnings(only near the end); being knocked out and being tied up.
> 
> That's all, for now, folks, don't forget to be kind to the people who aren't complete assholes and educate ignorant people <333

Back in the boat, the boys were a bit tired after the long day of exploring, but Virgil was so tired that he was tempted to just fall asleep leaning against Patton while the other three were talking softly. He forced his eyes open a little longer so that he could watch the lanterns when they started when he saw one.

He shot up with a gasp and climbed to the end of the small boat to get a better look at the two lanterns now floating in the night sky shining brighter than stars. Then more came and more, and more! There were so many in the sky now it looked like the stars had travelled to earth to bless them with their beauty.

There had to be at least a thousand lanterns all in different shades of yellow and white painting a picture in the dark blue, almost black, sky. It felt magical and was something Virgil was sure he would never forget, not that he wanted to.

He heard a soft chuckle behind him bringing him back to the present and turned around and saw that each of them was holding a lantern and Roman was holding one out to him. He gladly took it and on the count of three, they all pushed them back to the sky.

Virgil watched them rise not knowing that he had been handed the lantern that the Queen, his mum, had let go in the first place. Seeing that another lantern was floating down towards them, once it got withing reaching distance he gently pushed it back into the sky with the others unaware that it was the King’s lantern.

The four spent the next while cuddling in the boat and watching all the lanterns float above them with massive smiles on their faces at the pure beauty of it all.

They were sitting in a sort of circle with Virgil sitting so that he was facing the village meaning that he did not see the two large figures standing on a stony beach behind him. The others, however, did and held a silent conversation not gaining the attention of the sleepy teen lost in his own thoughts, soon concluding that they would give the crown to the brothers just so that they could live in peace without being followed or harassed by them but they paused for a moment as Virgil started to speak.

Virgil finally plucked up the courage to tell them his name. So, he did, he was obviously nervous because he didn’t know what they would think because he had only ever been told that his name was stupid and anyone who heard it would laugh, probably just to give him another reason to never leave. But these three were different right? They had only ever been kind and patient with him despite how much trouble he gave them.

“Um, I want to tell you guys my name.” He paused for a moment taking in their different expressions. He shifted a bit where he was sitting at the attention but closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened his eyes again and blurted out; “my name is Virgil!”

“Vir-gil?” Logan said testing out the name wondering why it seemed so familiar to him, like he knew it from somewhere and it was important, but he could not quite place it.

“Oh, kiddo I love it!” Patton squealed out tackling him into a hug.

“It suits you dark and stormy!”

Logan and Roman’s attention was taken away from the cute scene in front of them when they once again saw that the Stabbington brothers were standing on the beach, now seeming impatient one tapping his foot on the stones beneath his heavy boots and the tapping his hand against his bicep, both with their arms crossed and both glaring at them with dark, dead eyes filled with all the emotions of an undercooked waffle.

They sighed and started to gently row the boat over to the beach to get the interaction over with so that they could enjoy the night. The other two noticed they were moving and sat up, Patton understood where they were going and why, but Virgil was obviously confused, looking in the direction they were headed only to see an empty beach-like area.

The Stabbington brothers had now moved to the side of the beach in a space that was still open but surrounded by bushes so that they couldn’t be seen from the beach or the water.

Virgil was just about to ask what was happening when the other three got out of the boat and pulled it to the beach area so that it wouldn’t drift away.

“We will be back in a few minutes Virgil, don’t worry, we just have to take care of something first okay?” Logan said looking to the other two.

Virgil nodded mutely he was obviously confused but trusted them enough to believe Logan. They wouldn’t leave him, right?

The three walked through the bushes thinking that it would just take a few minutes then they could go back to Virgil and enjoy the rest of the evening spoiling the boy rotten.

Logan held out the crown out for one of the brothers to take and spoke hiding that he was scared quite well, “you can have the crown, all we ask is that we never have to cross paths again, we won’t turn you in and will stay out of your way.”

The brothers took a large step forward each with twin smug smiles on their faces. Logan stood his ground only just being able to stop his hand from shaking, Roman put a hand protectively on Patton’s shoulder as the smaller boy had had bad experiences with men such as these two before.

“Actually,” the one with the scar said, “we would prefer something else… something more.”

The boys each looked at them confused and as a twig snapped behind them they twirled round to see that two men were now standing there, one dressed in green and black looking like he lived with racoons, the other wearing black and yellow, with a hat and small cape that made him look like a Disney villain trying to blend in with bees.

The other boy spoke up next regaining their attention, “we want a trade of sorts. The crown, for the boy with the magic hair.”

“What? How do you… who are you guys.” Roman spluttered out over the other two’s gasps, directing the last bit at the two men behind them.

“Oh, don’t play stupid, we know our little slave boy told you all about us,” Janus said, crossing his arms and raising a brow at the angry expressions he received from the teens.

Roman lunged at him, Patton barely being able to keep him back, Janus huffed at this and waved his hand using some magic to put the boys to sleep, it wouldn’t last long as he had to preserve his magic so they could deal with Virgil soon. The boys collapsed to the ground, probably getting bruises from the hard ground. Remus cackled but mumbled something about wanting to knock them out with his mace.

The four, well three because Janus made the other three do the work, loaded the boys onto a boat they had placed nearby tying them up so it looked like they were awake and the crown would be clearly visible to the guards. They pushed the boat away from the shore and went got to the next stage of their plan.

Virgil had now been waiting anxiously near the boat for about 15 minutes. He had gotten out of the boat after a few minutes not being able to sit still and began pacing along the beach waiting for them.

When he saw a big figure come out of the bushes covered in the fog he sighed in relief, but then he took in the figure as it split into two. They were too big to be Patton, Roman or Logan. Too tall and muscly. It wasn’t his dads either, the body shape was all wrong. So he didn’t know who they were until they stepped close enough for the fog to not cloud his view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any mistakes then please let me know, I love and appreciate you all <33


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be an absolute shitstorm and the one after that which will be the last chapter for this plot will have some fluff to end it.
> 
> Warnings; violence, swearing, attempted kidnapping, being ade to fall asleep(magic), non-sexual bondage, Janus and Remus being abusive assholes, major self-deprecation and self-worth issues
> 
> If I missed anything or made any mistakes then please let me know <3

Virgil vaguely recognised the two large, muscly men in front of him as the brothers at the dam who had been wielding large blades and trying to hurt them. His body was frozen, but his mind was screaming at him to run. But he wanted, no he had to know where Patton, Logan and Roman where. They couldn’t have left, could they? They had _just_ promised not to, so where were they?

In a moment of confidence, he asked, well more like demanded, silently thankful that his voice didn’t shake as much as his hands did, “where are they?”

“They left, traded us though - the crown for the boy with the magic hair.”

Virgil was overcome by helplessness, betrayal and some emotions that he couldn't quite place but still tried to hold onto the fact that the trio was so nice and he trusted them. “No, I don’t believe you!”

The other brother spoke this time gesturing out to the foggy lake where a boat could barely be seen holding three people heading away from the area they had just been and towards the village where some guards were posted, “see for yourself.”

Virgil stepped closer to the lake’s edge to try and get a better look, stepping into the lake so that the water was just about to start leaking into the top of his boots just as a heavy hand roughly landed on his shoulder yanking him back where he was thrown roughly to the ground, a knee placed on his back and wrists pulled behind him being tied there by coarse rope.

He didn’t bother fighting back. He didn’t see the point anymore. The only three people he had ever trusted and liked were now gone. They left him for some stupid crown. He just laid there, face pressed into the stones, silent tears flowing down and across his face.

He didn’t even bother to try and resist when another rope was tied around his ankles. Not even when he was lifted up by his neck and thrown into a potato sack that scratched against all of his exposed skin making him itchy.

He was then lifted onto someone’s shoulder and he was turned upside-down. He tried to correct his position but the rope was limiting his movement a lot so he couldn’t do much. Then, out of nowhere, he was dropped face-first onto the ground.

His ears were ringing and his vision was fuzzy making it hard for him to do anything. The sack eventually opened and he was dragged out of it, through blurry vision he could see that the brothers were now on the ground unconscious and Janus and Remus were standing over him with folded arms and bored expressions.

Janus seemed to sigh and say something but Virgil couldn’t make it out, he was then turned over by Remus and the rope around his ankles disappeared. He was hoisted to his feet, making him light-headed and was pulled forwards by his arms. He stumbled a lot and blacked out a lot.

The next time he could make out where he was, he was being thrown to the floor of the tower. Janus said something to Remus but it still sounded like he was underwater despite it being a bit better than earlier. He felt something wet running down the side of his face from his hairline and guessed that he must have hit his head when he was dropped and that’s why everything was so difficult.

\---

It’s the next morning and Logan, Roman and Patton are sitting together in their cell, enjoying the moments that they all know will most likely be their last together when some guards open to door and walk towards them. They don’t struggle and just let the guards take them down the cold corridor to where they will be privately hung.

That is until they pass a cell with two very familiar faces in, it was the Stabbington brothers. Roman knocks a guard down and pulls one of the brothers by his collar to slam his face against the bars.

“Why did you help them?!”

“The men, they-they offered us part of the magic,” the man Roman was holding stuttered out, suddenly a lot less brave now that he was in a large cell waiting for a trail.

Right before Roman was tackled two voiced could be heard mumbling something. One of the brothers had mumbled about the men being lying bastards but Logan’s mumble regarded Virgil. He had finally figured it out.

He became frantic as he finally pieced it all together struggling and shouting, “please, you don’t understand! Virgil he-he’s the lost prince! He’s in danger! Please, we know where he is! Please!”

The guards did not listen and instead just kept walking the now protesting boys to their doom. However just as they stepped outside they were swarmed by a large group of different birds from the forest. The birds were diving down and attacking the guards especially their faces as that was one of the few places not covered by armour.

Between the birds and the struggling, they were doing they managed to escape their grip and run for it. They spotted Thomas and two other horses who were standing perfectly in line with some boxes so that they could all mount them with ease.

They managed to get on the horses just in time because when they looked behind them they could clearly see that the birds weren’t attacking as much and way more guards had started running after them, none were able to match the horses speed though and soon the group had sped through the village and were entering the forest on their way to save the lost prince and newest friend.

\---

It was the worst it had ever been. He was completely zoned out for most of it but that didn’t stop him from feeling the pain. That was about all he felt now. He was beginning to believe that he should have never left the tower. It had all been pointless. He had finally met people who seemed to care about him, only for it to turn out that they didn’t care about him at all. Typical.

His small body was absolutely covered in bruises now and he probably had a few more cracked ribs or something like that but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. The men had also ripped out the braids and flowers from his hair, making him watch as every little thing that showed that he had ever left was dropped out the window for the wind to take wherever it pleased.

He had been dragged up to his room and dropped onto the floor not caring enough to move to get the small amount of comfort that his mattress or blanket would provide, that was until his memories started to become clearer.

He looked around him but saw nothing but the mural in the village. The recognition he felt looking at the people in it returned with more force and the one thing he had failed to notice - the baby’s hair. More specifically the colour… it was white. Just like his.

That same baby had then gone missing the night he was born, and no one had been able to find him for 15 years. The exact same amount of time he had been alive and, in this tower, away from everyone. Then there was the crown, he had felt drawn to it like he was meant to have it and despite not really knowing what it was, he knew exactly what to do with it. Also, the fact that he recognised the picture on the soft cloth in his pocket. A very faint memory came to him, it seemed to be him extremely young and looking up at a mobile with the royal crest on it, then there were two faces, the same two faces in the mural... the King and Queen.

There was also the fact that Logan had seemed to recognise his name and seemed annoyed that he could not place it. And, how could he forget, the fact that he had magical fricken hair? Roman had said that the Queen had had to take a _magical_ flower to help cure her during pregnancy.

How could he have been so stupid? It was far too much just to be coincidences, it had to be true.

He was the Lost Prince.

Virgil stumbled as he stood, almost collapsing back down again as his body failed him. He was determined though as it seemed he actually had something to live for. He could meet his real parents!

With a burst of magic that he didn’t know he could do he completely fried the ropes still binding his wrists behind his back and stormed downstairs with a confidence he had never had before.

“I thought we told you to stay in your room you little cunt!” Janus hissed out, crossing his arms and swiftly moving forwards to block the bottom of the stairs, Remus on his tail.

“No.” Virgil said with no hesitation making direct eye contact with both of them, continuing to make his way down the stairs.

“No? And who the fuck do you think you are to tell me no?”

Two words, that’s all this would take. Two words and all hell will be let loose, it will be known that he has discovered his past.

“Your prince.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love and appreciate you all, thank you for reading and being alive <333


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahah yeet
> 
> Warnings (kinda spoilers btw); self-deprecating thoughts, mention of execution, child abuse, committing a crime, non-sexual restraining and gagging, mention of vomiting, violence, blood, stabby time (stabbing) and major character death

“How did y- how fucking dare you!” Remus growled out quickly turning from confusion to rage in a matter of seconds.

“Did you really think that I wouldn’t find out eventually? You really are stupid. I’m leaving and I never want to see either of you again or there will be some major issues.”

Virgil was now on the third from last step not too far from the two men in front of him. He was prepared for a fight and he would make sure that he got out this time.

“Oh yeah, and where are you going to go? There’s no one out there for you. Your _friends_ are set to be executed as we speak.” Janus snarled out enjoying the way Virgil’s face fell at the news of his friends.

“What?” He whispered brokenly, sure he thought that they betrayed him, but that did not mean he wants them to _die_! They were so nice and sweet, and they took care of him for ages even though all he was was annoying and a burden on them.

“They stole a crown, that’s a crime punishable by death, honestly how dumb could you be?”

Virgil felt lost now, but that in no way meant he didn’t still want to leave, it just meant that he would have to figure things out on his own for a while. He continued to step down the remaining steps until he was face to face with Janus.

Janus tried to grab him by his hoodie and his breathing hitched slightly before a powerful purple wave of magic came out of his body and made the men go flying backwards and hit against the wall behind them definitely leaving some bruises.

Virgil raised his head in a confident manner and quickly made his way to the window and got the rope sorted and hanging out the window for him to climb down.

“You want us to be the bad guys? Fine, now we’re the bad guys.” Janus hissed out brushing imaginary dust off his clothes.

Virgil whips around only to see a mass of green, black and yellow racing towards him. The magic wraps around his body and pushes him into the middle of the room. Green and black tentacles wrap around his neck and chest making it difficult to breathe and only loosen when he is close to passing out but he still can’t breathe properly and a large yellow snake wraps around his body pressing on all the injuries making his body feel like it is on fire.

He tries to fight back using his own magic, but it does not do much seeing as he is barely awake and quite weak at the moment, his confidence seems to have almost completely left now. He vaguely hears Janus demand for Remus to get something but can’t tell what until the animals leave his body and metal cuffs are placed quickly on his wrists which are attached to a chain that will be held by one of the two men so they can drag him wherever they want him to go.

This is bad, they only ever use the metal cuffs like this when they are going to make him move, or when they put him in the box under the floor. He tries to fight back as a gag is produced, this one not nearly as soft as any others that have been used, it takes a moment for him to realise that it isn’t just any gag, but the leather and metal one.

His struggling intensifies as he tries to get Remus’ bruising grip off his jaw but is stopped when Janus sighs then used his heavy boot to hit Virgil’s head into the wooden floor making him completely disoriented.

Remus finally gets the gag in now that there is no struggling and shoves the thick metal sheet into his mouth. It completely covers his tongue stopping it from moving and presses into the insides of his cheeks making it impossible to move his jaw without hurting himself. The belt straps that the metal is attached to goes directly backwards and is the thickest, then there are two smaller straps, one that loops behind his head then around his neck securing at the front. Remus tightens that one just a bit too tight to make it harder to breathe because he thinks it’s funny to watch people struggle to breathe. The last strap goes upwards and cups the crown of his head putting pressure on the sensitive part of the skull. Remus enjoys tightening them all as tight as he can so that the skin starts to bulge at the pressure and will be irritated when it comes off, which will most likely be in a couple of days as punishment for talking back too much.

The gag is completely impossible for Virgil to take off because the straps are tied off as well after they are secure properly. It had only ever been used when he wouldn’t stop talking or when he was put in the box. A thick blindfold is then placed over his eyes and secured tightly behind his head, only adding to the pressure and guaranteeing a headache for the boy.

Janus starts to pull Virgil’s still body by the chain connected to his wrists towards the hidden stairs so that the three can move location without hassle when horses can be heard from outside the tower.

Janus and Remus both curse before trying to hurry up, however just as they reach the entrance to the stairs Logan starts to climb into the tower so they hide in the shadows and wait for the boys to be at their most vulnerable before they attack.

Logan rushes to Virgil’s form and tries to shake him awake after he takes the blindfold off, struggling with the thick knots. Patton and Roman are close behind and both work to take off the muzzle and cuffs not thinking to check the tower for its other participants.

Logan and Patton work on undoing the straps of the muzzle and grimace in disgust, wanting to vomit at the knowledge that this thing even exists and has been used on Virgil before, to see the metal plate and the fact that the insides of Virgil’s cheeks are now irritated because of the sharp metal rubbing against them. Roman manages to undo one of the cuffs that are secured by a couple of latches and an easy to pick lock.

Just as the muzzle and one of the cuffs come off and Virgil’s eyes start to flutter open a large glowing yellow snake wraps around Logan’s waist and drags him backwards then bites him on the neck and slither quickly towards Patton, restraining and slightly strangling him while large black and green tentacles wrap around Roman’s body and cover his mouth so that no sound can come out.

The two men step out of the shadows and Janus steps over a shaking Logan to stand in full view of the waking up Virgil.

“Well would you look at that, your little boyfriends came to save you! Look how far they got, pathetic!” Janus laughed out.

Remus lifted Virgil by the front of his hoodie and got in his face saying “look around you virgin! Looks like no one can help. You are the reason these three are going to die. It is all. Your. Fault!”

Remus dropped Virgil who managed to stay on his feet despite stumbling and started cackling. Virgil looked around, he took in Roman and Patton who were struggling against the magic animals restraining them and then Logan whose whole body was shaking uncontrollably and pale as snow.

He took in a deep breath, his confidence and protectiveness over the three blossoming in his chest and stood tall, feet planted firmly on the floor and fists clenched. “Let them go. They have done **nothing** to you so let. Them. Go!”

Janus hummed and tapped his chin with a yellow gloved finger pretending to think about it for a second before answering “hmm, how about no?”

“If you let me help Logan and let them go then-then I’ll go with you. I’ll do whatever you want me to and I’ll never fight back. I promise,” he wanted to do anything he could to help them, he didn’t care what happened to him as long as the three of them were safe and happy.

He made sure to look directly into Janus and Remus’ eyes so that they knew he meant it and tried to ignore the pained struggling coming from Patton and Roman in protest to what he said.

“No, I don’t think I care, you see we can and have made you do whatever we want before and you _will_ do it again. We just want to have a bit of fun first and demonstrate what we can do to people who mess with us,” Janus laughed out turning serious at the end before walking up to Logan’s now barely moving form and poking him with his boot.

“Doesn’t seem like this one will have to wait much longer for death,” both he and Remus chuckled as if they had just heard a funny joke, maybe to them it was, “aw, and look at these two. I bet they thought they were being brave. Pathetic really, there really is no such thing as a happy ending.”

Janus tutted while lifting Roman’s face with a finger under his chin. Virgil surged forward and tackled Janus to the ground but let out a pined shriek when something sharp was planted into his side and he was shoved off of Janus.

“Well Remus, I think it’s time to get this over with don’t you?”

Remus looked positively overjoyed and made a big show of clenching his fist as the tentacles surrounding Roman and Janus did the same but with the snake and Patton.

Virgil took one look at the faces of the teenagers he had barely got to know and stood up ignoring the blood gushing from his new wound. He stood tall and raised his head levelling a glare at the two men, then his eyes and hair started glowing brighter than they ever had before.

He took back the magic Janus and Remus had stolen from him and the animal restraints disappeared letting Roman and Patton catch their breath before turning to watch what was happening.

Virgil’s body started glowing next, it was a bright purple that pulsed around him before with a mighty cry he sent it crashing forwards and into Remus and Janus whose eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates. Their bodies vanish from sight, disintegrating into the air before their molecules are transported to another unknown and uninhabited island, trapping them there for the rest of their existence so that no one can ever be hurt by them ever again.

The purple light disappears and Roman rushes forwards just in time to catch Virgil as his legs give out.

“Hey princey,” he mumbles out reaching a hand up to cup Roman’s cheek.

“Hey stormcloud,” Roman says as he leans into the soft touch, “come on let's get you and Logan patched up hm?”

Meanwhile, Patton crawls over to Logan’s still body. He tries to shake him awake but when that doesn’t work he cups his face and pats his cheek shocked at how cold he is. This fills his stomach with dread and he rushes to check his pulse and breathing.

Nothing.

He wasn’t breathing.

His pulse wasn’t there.

He was- no he couldn’t be.

They _**can’t**_ be too late.

Can they?

Patton sobs as he holds Logan close feeling as if part of himself had died.

Because well, it had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm so sorry that I left everyone with a cliffhanger for so long but once again I just didn't really have any motivation lol
> 
> Warnings; stab wound, medical stuff (I made most of it up because I don't know about that stuff but I think the teeth thing is true), dead body (from the last chapter), being in pain and thinking you're going to die, probably swearing.
> 
> I think that's all but if not then please leave a comment below and if I made any grammatical or spelling errors then please call me out <33

Virgil’s hand drops back to his lap as he is pulled so he is sitting up and leaning on Roman so it easier for Roman to put pressure on the stab wound when they hear sobbing behind them. Roman turns around to see Patton cradling a limp and extremely pale Logan in his arms.

Roman looks in shock for a moment piecing together what is happening then turns back to Virgil whose eyelids are now drooping as he struggles to stay awake. He tries to shake him gently as to not make his wounds any worse and gently picks him up bridal-style and moves to sit beside Patton and Logan.

“Patton?” He tries softly. “Logan, is he…?”

He trails off unsure if he can finish the sentence but receives a nod anyway. He already knew but Patton confirming it was what broke him. Tears started pooling in his eyes, but he tries to stay strong for the other two.

Roman gently lays Virgil down in front of them and continues to put pressure on the wound using a clean towel he quickly grabbed from the kitchen and securing it tightly with the jacket he was wearing.

Virgil had drifted off again so Roman woke him up again by gently hitting his cheek and saying his name, Virgil looked around dazed until his eyes landed on Logan and Patton. His eyes went wide, and he tried to sit up quickly but was stopped by Roman pushing him back down by his shoulders and brokenly whispering.

“It’s too late Virgil, he- he’s gone. There’s nothing we can do.”

Virgil refused to let himself cry yet and instead shuffled himself over to them and took Logan’s cold hand, clutching it between his own and pressing it against his hair.

Virgil closed his eyes and scrunched his face up in concentration completely ignoring his own pain for the moment. He started to sing quietly, his voice raspy but still there and reached within himself to grab the magic there and use it to try and heal Logan.

Truthfully he had no clue if this was going to work but he knew he had to try anyway, his magic was a lot weaker than usual because he was so injured and losing blood but he didn’t let that stop him trying. His hair was glowing so little that it didn’t look like it was glowing at all. Patton and Roman just watched him conflicted because they were holding onto the tiny bit of hope that this would work but not wanting Virgil to be hurt when it did not.

Virgil was almost finished singing and they had all given up hope now seeing as nothing had happened but as soon as the song was done and they were plunged back into the deafening silence the bite mark on Logan’s neck began to glow.

It started out as a warm glow beneath his skin then spread through his body lighting up all his veins and producing a marvellous and disturbing display. Then the place that Virgil’s hands were started to glow purple and soon his entire body was cocooned in the purple light which then spread around the room in beautiful swirls and patterns.

After a couple of seconds, the lights faded, and they were once again left in the dark room all holding their breath to see if anything had happened. A few seconds passed then Logan regained his warmth and started breathing again. Patton rushed to check his pulse and looked at the other two before shouting with joy that it was normal, and he was alive.

Logan’s eyes then fluttered open and he groaned slightly trying to sit up but still being tired because Virgil was only able to remove all the venom and give back most of his strength not all of it. The other three watched him wake up with pure love and shock then launched into a hug staying there and giggling madly for ages and only stopped when Virgil pulled back looking pale but with a smile reaching his ears plastered on his face and tears threatening to fall out his eyes again.

The others looked at him confused before they saw his hoodie and the towel which were now almost completely soaked in blood. Virgil was swaying slightly and Roman moved next to him then helped him lay down cushioning his head with a cushion from beside the fireplace.

“It was nice seeing you all again, please stay happy, okay? Stick together, you guys make an excellent team, I am so sorry I burdened you all so much. You guys are amazing and have made me the happiest I’ve ever been so thank you.”

The other three watched in horror as Virgil tried to say goodbye and Logan climbed out of Patton’s lap and crawled forwards and took the bloody clothes of him then pressed down firmly on the stab wound making Virgil cry out in pain.

“Like _hell_ we’re going to let you die after we just got you back,” Logan spoke with such confidence that it did not sound like he had just been revived from death and was still dealing with the aftermath of that.

He quickly got Roman and Patton to snap out of their shocked states of fussing over Virgil and help him by collecting things they would need; Logan was determined that he would be able to stitch up the wound and stop Virgil bleeding out.

Roman and Patton had found sewing supplies with Virgil’s directions, it obviously wasn’t the best, but it was all they could find and they were going to utilise everything they could. They also got cups of water for everyone and found an old first-aid kit that had bandages and steriliser in.

Logan worked as quickly as he could lifting Virgil’s hoodie to expose his chest. It was covered with bruises and scars, you could clearly see his ribs and the stab wound which was still oozing out blood was about two inches to the left of his belly button, thankfully it wasn’t that deep and would be okay with a few stitches.

They all cringed at the amount of abuse and pain Virgil had obviously been through due to the injuries littering his body but pushed that aside so they could focus on the most important issue right now and that was the fact that despite being extremely tired, Logan was going to stitch up the wound and they had to try and keep Virgil awake for a while so that they could make sure he was okay.

Roman picked up a small rag which he rolled up and put in Virgil’s mouth to bite down on so that he didn’t break his teeth while clenching his jaw in pain. Patton threaded the needle while Logan cleaned the wound and checked with Virgil to make sure there were no other serious wounds, there weren’t but a couple of his ribs were bruised making it painful to breathe. Soon he was handed the needle by Patton, he quickly pierced through the skin and through the other side pulling it tight and tying it off then cut the string and did it again a little further down.

Virgil held Patton’s hands so he could squeeze them and Roman kept his legs from kicking out. He was trying his best, but Virgil could not help but let out a yell of pain every so often but at least the pain was keeping him awake a bit. Logan got to the third stitch, just tying it off when Patton started to shake Virgil back awake after his eyes had gone glassy and then closed. He groaned slightly then opened his eyes again and tried to blink the sleepiness away.

Logan kept working and was as quick as he could be while also doing it well. It didn’t take much longer, maybe 10-15 minutes but to Virgil, it was an eternity of fiery pain and he was extremely tempted to pass out and let himself float in a world of darkness and painlessness but he knew that if he let himself go unconscious then he might die. They needed to make sure that none of his organs had been pierced or if he had any other major injuries that could cause permanent damage if they didn’t spot them before he fell asleep.

After Logan had finished tying off the last stitch, which made it a total of seven, he put the needle down and Roman came and hugged him. Logan let himself be pulled so that he was cuddled into Roman’s chest as exhaustion settled over his body making it hard for him to think or keep his eyes open for long.

“It’s okay Logan, we’ve got it from here. You did good, get some rest now.”

That was all the permission Logan needed and he let himself fall asleep which took about two seconds.

Virgil had let go of Patton’s hands and took the rag out of his mouth and was apologising profusely to Patton who was massaging his hands because they had been squeezed so hard. Patton, of course, was insisting that it was fine and that Virgil had needed it.

Patton bandaged up the stab wound and was now checking over the rest of Virgil’s body and asking him heaps of questions to make sure that he was okay and nothing else was majorly wrong with him. After ensuring that he was okay Patton lifted Virgil over to the wall where Roman was sitting with an asleep Logan on his lap and laid Virgil down on his side with his head in Patton’s lap where he started to run his fingers through his hair making him almost instantly relax and helping him fall asleep so he could regain some of his energy.

They all stayed there for a while until the clattering of hooves could be heard from outside the tower so Roman passed the still asleep Logan to Patton and went to check it out by looking through the large window.

“Thomas is back! And there are guards too! Patton, they came, we can get Virgil to the palace!”

The two woke up the two who were sleeping and explained what was happening then Roman picked up Virgil, who was barely conscious, and Patton supported Logan as they made their way down the hidden stairs to meet the guards and explain what happened. Thankfully, they had started to suspect that the three were telling the truth when Thomas had come back and helped the guards to the location after helping them escape.

They all rode back to the palace and got some more rest on the way, Virgil got proper medical attention then they all went to meet the King and Queen.

\---

The King and Queen were reading together in the library when a guard burst into the room and made their way over to the two. They bowed before saying; “your majesties, your son has been returned. He is currently making his way to the throne room to await your arrival.”

They rushed out of the room the happiest they had been in the 15 years their son had been hidden from them. They stopped right before the door and looked at each other, they hugged in delight then held hands and opened the door.

\---

Virgil was obviously nervous, what if his parents hated him and sent him back to- no. These people who were his biological parents have been searching for him for the whole time he was being held captive so they would obviously be delighted with his return.

Virgil was walking in front of the other three with a man who had apparently been assigned as his royal advisor/personal assistant for the young prince and had introduced himself as Remy. Honestly, Virgil was wary of the man but their joint appreciation for sass and sarcasm, while at totally different levels, helping them to bond and have an appreciation for the other.

They reached the door and stopped. Remy hesitated with his hand on the handle looking at Virgil for a moment.

“My Prince, the King and Queen will join us in a moment.” Remy turned back around and opened the door letting them all in and leading them to the middle of the room where they stopped and waited for the King and Queen to arrive.

Logan was in between Roman and Patton and they were all holding hands and clearly nervous seeing as the guards kept giving them dirty looks, they knew what had happened but the guards also knew that the King and Queen might end up removing their charges because they had helped get back the lost prince.

It barely took a minute for a door to crash open behind the throne and two beautifully dressed adults to come speed walking through obviously wanting to run to meet their son but wanting to remain somewhat professional. They stopped just in front of Virgil and they all looked at each other for a moment in silence taking in each other.

Then they all surged forwards into a hug no one being careful of Virgil’s various injuries which were probably being disturbed but he didn’t seem to mind. They sank to the floor as one and continued holding onto each other as everyone smiled while watching them reunite. The family let out occasionally let out little sniffles and their eyes leaked out happy tears.

After a couple of minutes, the Queen pulled back and cupped Virgil’s face in her hands studying every inch of her son who she didn’t get to see grow up. The King also pulled back a moment later and held them both, looking at Virgil with awe and pure happiness in his eyes.

That’s when the King and Queen noticed the three strangers behind their son and smiled up at them before the King asked Virgil, “and who might these men be?”

Virgil turned to look at them with a huge smile on his face before turning back to his parents and saying, “they saved my life. They got me out of the tower and have been nothing but kind and amazing.”

“Well, then they deserve a reward for their service. Thank you for helping return our son to us, anything you want, it's yours.” The Queen said.

“There’s only one thing we can really ask for your majesties,” Roman started, “and that is that you do everything in your power to make sure Virgil is happy.”

The other two nodded in agreement and smiled down at the happy family.

“We will, thank you, are you sure there is nothing you want? Riches, a place to stay, anything?”

Patton bit his lip thinking about how he was going to word what he was thinking but Virgil beat him to it.

“Well actually, could they maybe stay with us… I mean they don’t really have a house or anything to go home to, and they um, they kinda were the ones who sto- they were forced to steal the crown for some bad people so could they not get punished for that? Please?”

He rushed out the last bit and looked down fiddling with his fingers.

The King and Queen barely shared a glance before the King gently lifted up Virgil’s face with a finger under his chin before saying, “of course my son, anything to make you happy.”

Virgil crashed into his father’s chest screaming ‘thank you’ repeatedly. The King chuckled before looking at the three teens in front of him and saying loudly so that the guards could clearly hear, “I hereby pardon you from all charges made against you, and you’re all allowed to live here with us. You helped our son and for that, we will be forever grateful, but if you ever hurt him we will start a war.”

The King and Queen chuckled at the last bit and Patton, Logan and Roman all let out nervous chuckles before thanking them profusely. Virgil’s parents waved them off before Virgil introduced them properly to his parents.

They moved to one of the meetings used for less formal meetings as it had comfy armchairs and a fireplace and talked for hours about everything and anything only moving when a large roast dinner was served for them in the dining hall.

It was almost pitch black outside when they all retired for bed, the King and Queen walking Virgil to his room and showing the other three where their rooms were, just down the corridor before properly saying goodnight to their son by hugging him as if they would never get to see him again because well, it had happened before and was a valid fear for them.

They walked down the corridor hand in hand after everyone else was in their rooms preparing for bed by putting on clothes that maids had left out for them. After a while of tossing and turning they all made their way out into the corridor and knocked on each other’s door quietly to not alert the guards stationed at the end of the corridor and made their way to Virgil’s room where they all cuddle on the large bed and fell asleep holding onto each other after the long and exhausting day.

\---

They looked in from outside the window at the group of boys cuddling on the bed, pathetic and disgusting.

That boy had the nerve to get rid of his uncles and then cuddle with his stupid little boyfriends? How dare he!

There was no way in hell that Virgil was not going to pay for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is it I guess. For now at least.
> 
> I also want to point out that I deliberately let Virgil keep his magic so I can do more fun stuff in the future. I know that it was a big plot point but I honestly like it better this way and I made him suffer a lot so I let him keep his magic in the long run.
> 
> I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to get my shit together and write a sequel.
> 
> If anyone wants me to write oneshots then please leave prompts in the comments below and I write them and add them to the series. I'll write anything as long as it isn't sexual seeing as I'm asexual and sex-repulsed when it comes to details most of the time, and I'm not quite 16 yet (I will be in 10 days and I'm lowkey scared lmao).
> 
> Thank you all for reading this and for leaving kudos and comments, I appreciate you all and I hope you all live happily and get what you really want in life. Bye for now <333

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> The next update should be within the week.


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